OPINION: A Firm Resolve to Halt Abuse

By William Murphy, Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre
New York Times
August 4, 2002

A tragedy of huge proportions has struck at the heart and life of the Catholic Church. We have had to face the sad fact that for more than three decades, a few priests have abused their positions of authority and betrayed a precious trust by preying on the innocence of children and teenagers through acts that are criminal, immoral and sinful.

As a church we stumbled and at times fell horribly short in our handling of these cases. And as a church we must now face honestly our condition, substantively correct what was wrong and make provisions that will allow us, through candor and renewed purpose, through seeking pardon and forgiveness, to restore the true life of the church.

But what has happened in these past three decades and more? How did we reach this state? There are many responses but no excuses; many explanations but no justifications. Sadly a few priests seem to have grown tired of the yoke of Jesus. Some of them are sick; some confused. But all who have wronged minors, even if only for moments of their lives, have lost sight of the meaning of their promised fidelity to God.

The sinful condition of humanity is certainly at the base of this tragedy. More than three decades of the American sexual revolution, with all its permissiveness, has been a factor but not sufficient in itself.

A handful of priests allowed this environment to obscure their promise to live chaste celibate lives. A false sense of freedom, an unhealthy and sinful desire for self-gratification -- all are part of the problem. Criminal immorality hid behind a cleric's collar. But none of these reasons justify or excuse the exploitation of innocence, the abuse of power, the betrayal of trust or crimes against minors.

A few priests apparently thought that doing the work of a priest did not include living the life of a priest. They did their work but allowed themselves to commit real transgressions. Somehow, at some point in the lives of a few of our brothers, there was a great disconnection between the sacrifice they offered and the lives that they lived.

We priests who have given our lives to serve others through the church stand before God in repentance, seeking His mercy. We ask forgiveness of God for the wrongs of our brothers toward children and teenagers. We ask God's forgiveness for our own sins of omission and commission in safeguarding minors under our own care in our responsibility for guiding the church. And we offer our sorrowful apology to all those who have been hurt: victims, their families, the priests and parishes where the priests have served.

Our sorrow carries with it a firm purpose of change. Examining honestly and sincerely our own guidance of the church, we bishops have instituted procedures that commit us to do all we can to ensure that children and teenagers are protected.

As part of my responsibility, I have instituted a process that has changed the way that an allegation is addressed in this diocese. Complaints and allegations are now received not only by mail, e-mail or office phone but also through our dedicated telephone line, allowing our newly constituted Pastoral Intervention Team to respond quickly to a complaint, route it to law enforcement officials and offer the complaintant and the priest whatever therapy is indicated. Formerly three priests on my staff handled these allegations. The new Pastoral Intervention Team is now made up of a priest, the Rev. Robert Batule, with graduate degrees in sociology and theology; Sister Sean Foley, a social worker with considerable experience in psychotherapy; and a law enforcement expert, the former Nassau police commissioner Donald F. Kane. He now takes the information directly to the district attorneys or any other appropriate legal authority, independently of me and of my office.

In addition, the Rockville Centre Diocese has revised the Review Board. This board will continue to enjoy the expertise of the current psychiatrist and social worker but now includes two additional psychiatrists and three additional experts in social work, four parents, four law enforcement experts and a priest. Several are non-Catholics. Their task is to review every case to make sure that everything that should be done has been done.

Last Sunday Pope John Paul II candidly and forthrightly addressed this issue during the Mass he celebrated with hundreds of thousands gathered for World Youth Day in Toronto. He said to them as he does to us all: "The harm done by some priests and religious to the young and vulnerable fills us all with a deep sense of sadness and shame. But think of the vast majority of priests and religious whose only wish is to serve and do good!" Then he added, "We are not the sum of our weaknesses and failures; we are the sum of the Father's love for us and our real capacity to become the image of His Son."

May that be our goal as it is the commitment of our lives.