Bishop’s Comments on Child Molestation Has Some Calling for His Immediate Resignation

By Katie Lapotin
Independent Journal
September 14, 2015

http://www.ijreview.com/2015/09/419302-find-bishops-comments-child-molestation-calling-resignation/

According to Syracuse Bishop Robert Cunningham, the priests involved in the various child molestation scandals throughout the Catholic church over the last few decades aren’t entirely to blame.

Instead, the Post-Standard reports, Bishop Cunningham says the victims share some of the guilt as well.

During a 2011 deposition as part of a federal lawsuit filed by a man who was allegedly abused by a priest within the Syracuse diocese, the Catholic leader was asked whether or not the church believes a child molested by a priest has committed a sin when he said:

“The boy is culpable.”

When asked to elaborate, he responded:

“Well, I mean, without knowing the circumstances completely, did the boy encourage, go along with in any way.”

The Bishop later acknowledged he couldn’t judge if a young man “had any culpability” when provided more background on the situation, but by that point the damage was done.

A senior official for the Diocese later clarified to the paper that Cunningham does not believe a child is responsible for being sexually abused. He also said it is unfair for Cunningham’s past testimony to be used as a basis for his opinion on the issue.

Nonetheless, the writing may already be on the wall for Cunningham, who has led the Diocese since 2009. His testimony has already made an impact on how some within the church view him, including Nancy Wright, a member of the Diocesan Review Board and the point person for child molestation scandals.

A psychiatric social worker by day, Wright told the Post-Standard that she was previously unaware of the 2011 testimony, but that reading it severely soured her opinion of the Bishop:

“It was never conveyed to me, and I certainly would be very vocal in my objections to such a statement. The only way that a victim answers in the sense of feeling guilty about that is because their physical body responds. That’s not culpability. That’s a biological reaction.”

The paper also reported that several survivors who have spoken out about their experiences with priests from the Diocese believe Cunningham should resign for his comments. They plan to start a petition and hope to have enough signatures to present it to Pope Francis when he visits New York City later this month.

Cunningham clarified his words in a statement released Sunday. He wrote:

“‘Allow me to be clear: I in no way believe a child is responsible for being abused by any person,’ Cunningham stated. ‘I also believe and have clearly stated that a priest who abuses a child is wrong as is any adult who takes advantage and harms a child.'”

Nearly 30 Catholic dioceses nationwide have publicly released the names of priests with credible allegations of child molesting.

Among the dioceses that have been severely affected by the scandals are Boston, Denver, Los Angeles, Minneapolis-St. Paul, San Diego and Philadelphia.