Honor the Victims

The Observer-Tribune
September 4, 2015

http://www.newjerseyhills.com/observer-tribune/opinion/editorial/honor-the-victims/article_859838ea-3c43-5c62-a93b-4b2e5c8a816b.html

St. Joseph Church in Mendham holds an unfortunate place in the history of priests who have sexually abused children.

The church was at the epicenter of the scandal that has torn apart the Catholic Church. One of its former pastors, James Hanley, was the church leader from 1972 to 1982, where he sexually abused more than a dozen boys in the church rectory. He was later defrocked but not charged because of the statute of limitations and victims who told of the abuse were instrumental in drawing the nation’s and the world’s attention to the issue.

As a small but powerful reminder of the horrors conducted by Hanley and others, a memorial was installed outside the church in 2004. The church had little role in the memorial, as volunteers raised money for its construction.

The memorial, including a 400 pound black basalt millstone, was vandalized in 2011. It was then rebuilt and two figures of a boy and girl were added only to be again vandalized in 2013.

And in the latest insult, one of the figures has been destroyed and the likelihood of its repairs is in doubt.

It would seem that the church pastor, the Rev. Monsignor Joseph Anginoli, and the Catholic diocese of Paterson would act intentionally and quickly to revere the memories of all those who have been so terribly abused.

Unfortunately that’s not the way the church has acted most recently.

Anginoli said the statues deteriorated because the materials could not withstand the winter weather. The sculptor who made the memorial, however, said it should not be affected by the weather.

Regardless of the reason, Anginoli should offer his condolences to those who worked to erect the memorial. He should express sadness that the memorial has deteriorated. He should show concern and compassion for those who have been victimized.

But there has been no such sensitivity of late. And that has too often been the story of the church’s response to allegations of sexual predators who pose as priests. The church’s actions have too often been to either downplay and deny responsibility and blame the victims.

As an example of the church’s lack of sensitivity, the statewide support group, Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), met at the church until 2007 when Anginoli said they could no longer use the church for meetings.

Pope Francis is slated to visit Washington, D.C., on Sept. 24, and there would be no better time for Anginoli and the diocese to step out of character and show some real compassion for the victims who have been identified and the many more who may never be known.

At the time when victims were painfully recalling their stories at St. Joseph, the church pastor at the time, the Rev. Monsignor Kenneth Lasch, courageously led the move toward justice and healing. The same needs to continue now.