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	Called to Accountability Roman Catholic Diocese of St. Petersburg June 1, 2011 http://blogs.dosp.org/bishoplynch/2011/05/28/called-to-accountability/ Beginning with today’s Vigil Masses, every worshipping Catholic in our five county diocese will be receiving a letter from me outlining the work which we have done and the cost of dealing with past instances of sexual misconduct with minors by both priests and lay employees. My letter coincides with a number of other events within the Church in the United States on this sad topic: recent guidelines issued by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to the bishops of the world for dealing with cases of sexual misconduct with a minor, the final report commissioned by the bishops of the United States by the John Jay College on “The Causes and Context of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Catholic Priests in the United States, 1950-2010“, and the tenth anniversary of the passage of what is called “The Dallas Charter” which outlines what the Catholic Church in the US must do to protect children in effect since 2002. The “Dallas Charter” is scheduled for review and reexamination at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops meeting next month in Seattle. All of this is by way of rather lengthy preamble to several questions: can the Diocese of St. Petersburg be trusted to handle accusations of sexual misconduct with a minor or vulnerable adult in accordance with the promises contained in the “Dallas Charter” and have I as bishop done all that I can to protect children in the diocese? Each Catholic will have to make up their own mind on these questions, hopefully after thoughtfully reading and reflecting on my letter and other resources. If you wish to read the John Jay study, you may do so by clicking here. Too many young people have been crushed and hurt beyond belief in what was done to them as children by a figure as trusted as a priest. One case is one too many. To all victims, the Church today must join me as your bishop in restating once again our most sincere apology for what was done to you, for the psychological, emotional and faith harm which it caused you, and the deep pain and distrust which lingers. To my fellow Catholics, I beg you to accept that these feelings in victims of clergy sexual misconduct against minors are real. I fear that too many people think that the victims should “just get over it and move on.” It is never that easy and the profound harm done to them lingers in many throughout their entire life even if they wish to move on. All I can promise is to do all in my power to try and prevent it from happening in the future. Human nature is fallen and sinful and it is impossible to know what evil lurks in the hearts of every man and woman, but we are much wiser than twenty years ago, more careful and observant, attentive to warning signs and far, far more knowledgeable about the subject. Sometimes the only consolation we can give to a victim is that we are doing all we can to see that it does not happen again. I believe that for at least the next decade and maybe longer, some victims will continue to come forward who were abused by a person of the Church (clergy, religious or lay) in this diocese but mostly from times long past. I encourage anyone harmed by a person of the Church to be in contact with our Victim Assistance Minister, contact local law enforcement, and begin some process of healing. I don’t want you just to go away unless and until the Church has had an opportunity to say it’s/we (are) sorry and help you deal with harm done to you. My letter has been shared in advance with the Presbyteral Council of the diocese consisting of twenty-six representative priests and by the Diocesan Pastoral Council which is made up largely of lay women and men. Both consultative bodies overwhelmingly have encouraged me to publish the letter. We take no comfort in the statistics it will reveal and we claim no virtue in recapping the last fifteen years. They and I just feel that you have a right to know what we have done and are doing and the victims need once again to hear our voice in profound apology for the harm done by a few. The harm done is disproportionately high compared to the small number of priests and lay employees credibly accused, some of whom are now deceased. The John Jay study, last Thursday, was a thorough examination of both the causes of sexual misconduct (focused solely on priests) and is both scholarly and timely. From where I sit, I can assure you that the researchers were totally free to go where necessary to find out what we did wrong in the past and what we might have learned from the past which might help avoid a similar situation in the future. It already has its critics and I understand that but I am confident that it will withstand the intense scrutiny which it will be given by the psychological, social science, medical, and research communities for its extensive research into perhaps the darkest moment of Church history in the last sixty years. Please read my report to the people also with an open mind and if you have questions after reading it, then please send them to me and I will promise I will answer you as best I am able. Soon, I pray, the Church will have the liberty to begin to return to the task of inviting back those who have left us and proclaiming the truly liberating and captivating Gospel of Jesus Christ. However, I do agree with my brother bishop, Blase Cupich, chairman of the USCCB Committee for the Protection of Children that we bishops will carry the shame of the past with us to our graves, even if we tried to do it right. My letter will be posted here at four o’clock p.m. today (Saturday, May 28th) and will also be on the diocesan website should you not be in Church in this diocese this week-end. All parishioners attend Mass will receive the letter in their Sunday bulletins. Should it not be there, please use the comment section of this blog to inform me of the name of the parish. Again, please read it carefully and if you have additional questions, please write to me at Bishop Robert Lynch, PO Box 40200, St. Petersburg, Florida, 33743. I promise an appropriate response.
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