YAKIMA (WA)
Herald-Republic
March 7, 2019
For too long in too many dioceses, the identities of Catholic clergy credibly accused of sexual abuse have remained hidden under the hem of a secretive clerical cassock – out of sight to the public at large but forever haunting the lives of victims.
This past year, however, extraordinary strides have been made in the Catholic church to bring the truth out of the shadows and hold priests accountable. It is a long overdue reckoning that has reached the highest Diocesan levels — the Vatican, via the crimes of defrocked Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, among others — on down to the smallest local parishes in towns far and near.
And, yes, that includes Yakima.
The Catholic Diocese of Yakima’s Diocesan Lay Advisory Board this month will consider whether the Diocese should post on its website the names of alleged abusive priests who have served here. The panel, comprised among others, of a psychologist, a member with a background in law enforcement, a physician and a pastor, will make a recommendation to Bishop Joseph Tyson, who is expected to decide soon after Easter.
This editorial board sincerely hopes the advisory board and the bishop opt for the light of public disclosure, the cleansing qualities of transparency, over continued secrecy and evasion. It’s fitting that the decision will come around Easter, a time for redemption and resurrection; the church’s reputation surely is in need of both.
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