|
Transparency is key to allow healing to begin
By Judy Bastien
Recent allegations of sex abuse of a child by a local priest has sent ripples through the congregation at St. Edmond Catholic Church and at the same time has spurred them to rally in support of its pastor. "I'm very sad that a leader of my parish has had to go through this," said Bob Chaney of the Rev. Gilbert Dutel — "Father Gil," to his parishioners. Chaney, who called Dutel "an inspiring man," firmly believes in his innocence, as it seems, does the whole congregation. Last weekend, Dutel received standing ovations from his parishioners during Mass. "If a person is innocent, it's fabulous to have support of a community that believes in you," said Kathryn Elliott, who holds a doctorate in psychology and is in private practice at the Anthetic Psychology Center. "That's archetypical, loving support." But that kind of support can cut both ways. A support system that protects the guilty does the community a disservice. It should be said that accusations do not always constitute guilt. But there are those who doubt Dutel's innocence, an opinion fueled in part by Lafayette Diocese Bishop Michael Jarrell's refusal to release what he has characterized as exculpatory documents from a prior investigation. The current turmoil for this priest and his parish began more than 1,000 miles away, when Minnesota Public Radio uncovered two documents from the 1990s alleging that Dutel sexually abused an Abbeville boy, beginning in the 1970s, when the child was 8 years old. The MPR investigation also alleged that Dutel coerced young men into having sex. The same person, now in his 40s, also accused two other priests of sexually abusing him. One of them, Ronald Lane "Jean Paul" Fontenot, pleaded guilty to statutory rape in Spokane, Washington, and the other, David Primeaux, admitted to sex abuse in a psychological report. He committed suicide in 2012 in Virginia. A written response from the diocese to The Daily Advertiser said the accusations made against Dutel were "unproven allegations," according to an investigation conducted by the Catholic Church at the time. There has been no mention of a police investigation, however. And the results of the church's investigation remain undisclosed because revealing them would serve no purpose, Jarrell said. That kind of discretion can be counterproductive and evoke suspicion where it may or may not be warranted. "Whether it's a spiritual community or a cultural community, we thrive on transparency," Elliott said. "There needs to be a commitment to transparency for a community to thrive." Brandon Louiviere, a Catholic who belongs to another church and doesn't find there is enough evidence to "jump to conclusions," finds the secrecy inappropriate. "I think it's unsettling that a private organization accused of something that's criminal would do something that looks like covering up," Louviere said. Sometimes perception is as important as fact. When clergy sex scandals emerges, it's tragic — not just for victims, but also for the church community. "It creates a crisis because you're deeply hurt — betrayed. You also have empathy for someone being hurt by someone else and you have empathy for the person doing the hurting. They're in some kind of psychological crisis that they're acting out on someone else," Elliott said. But whatever the truth in this case may be, some of the faithful in the the larger Catholic community said this incident has not shaken their faith. "I feel like this is one of the things that tests your faith as a Catholic," Louviere said. There is no crisis of faith for former Mayor Dud Lastrapes. He expressed his feelings by quoting the words of Jesus Christ when he named St. Peter the head of the first church, as recorded in the Bible: " '...upon this rock, I will build my church. The gates of hell will not prevail against it.'" Even so, Lastrapes said, "serious mistakes" were made in the 1980s during the first priest sex abuse scandal involving convicted pedophile priest Gilbert Gauthe. These mistakes were made, he said, "not only by the guilty priests who molested children but by church authorities." But, Lastrapes added, "The vast majority of priests are good, dedicated men. Only a minority are guilty." Marianne Prejean, a recent University of Louisiana at Lafayette graduate who works in the Anthetic Psychology Center's office, sees all parties involved in sex abuse cases as victims, including perpetrators. "But I believe they should be dealt with, because we all need to be held responsible for our actions." Prejean said her faith remains strong. "I believe in a loving God who loves all of us, even those who fall short." Dolores Eggar Labbe, a devout Catholic who belongs to another church parish, has a definite opinion on the question of Dutel's actions. "There are priest pedophiles all over the country and all over the world," said the retired UL history professor. "But not this particular priest, who has been found innocent, apparently." Nonetheless, Labbe finds the whole issue of pedophiles among the clergy and church authorities' traditional response to it "very upsetting." The familiar pattern of transferring priests accused of molesting children to another parish is an old one, Labbe said. She points to the case of St. Mary MacKillop, who was excommunicated temporarily during the 1870s, along with nuns from the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Sacred Heart, an order she founded in her native Australia. Their offense: Exposing a pedophile priest. And the priest? He was transferred to Ireland. That was more than 140 years ago, but like Lastrapes, Labbe faults the church for its handling of modern-day clergy child molestation cases. "The hierarchy have a lot to answer for," Labbe said. Labbe believes the tendency of bishops to cover up child molestation by the clergy has damaged their credibility. But unlike some, she feels Jarrell has been more forthright than most in his position. Yet, there is the matter of the yet-to-be-released reports of the investigation church authorities say cleared Dutel. If for no other reason than to lay matters to rest, they should be made public. As Elliott has said, in the faith community, as in a family, only with transparency can healing begin.
|
.
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.