CALIFORNIA
Healing and Spirituality
Dr. Jaime Romo
The following letter is to a local church in San Diego that acts to prevent child sexual abuse and promote healing.
Pilgrims,
Congratulations on sending the Resolution for Safe Churches and Healing Communities to the Annual Gathering and having it adopted [this document]
I have a vision of how, together, we can bring the Resolution to fruition. In fact, it is a vision of a movement that is impossible for any one person, like myself, to realize and will become a reality because of your participation.
I remember the pain I went through when I broke my own silence about being sexually abused by a priest when I was an adolescent. Many of you can remember the pain and trauma five years ago when a registered sex offender showed up asking to be part of our faith community. I think that the pain many experienced then had to do with not having a language or competency to deal with that pain at the time. Individual and collective abuse trauma experiences were triggered and we thought we might never recover, and look where we are now! We are more conscious, competent, and committed to preventing abuse of children, youth and vulnerable adults. Many are more healed and whole as a result of working with this toxic material as a church.
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