January 1, 2004
(originally printed in the Intelligencer (Doylestown Pa))

Its time to come clean! …

The Roman Catholic Chuch and in particular the Archdioceses of California are at a severe cross-roads. The good news is that it is not too late to do the right thing.

Dec 31, 2003 was the last day that Californians could file molestation lawsuits against the Roman Catholic Dioceses of California. According to Associated Press report (Dec 30, 2003), the flood of litigation has come as the courts lifted for one year the statute of limitations for older molestation lawsuits—resulting in as many as 750 new lawsuits. What is the response of the Diocese? Attorneys for the church say that it is

“unfair to dust off allegations after the passage of so much time—in one case, more than 70 years.”

Archdiocese spokesman Tod Tamberg said the law had made the church vulnerable to ‘some claims that are demonstrably false’.

Now perhaps, in a cold courtroom context, it is unfair to the accused to attempt to defend 70 year old accusations. But my problem with the comments is that these matters should never have been delayed in the first place! Biblically, ethically and morally, whether crimes were committed yesterday or 70 years ago, the church had an ongoing obligation to investigate charges thoroughly…

For a church that supposedly believes in the radical power of Christ to bring experiential justice for all victims, it is absurd to choose a lesser strategy of hiding behind legal debate and nuances. In my life I have seen a number of sexual abuse victims enter paths of powerful healing and reconciliation–never as a direct result of court settlements—no matter how liberal. Ultimately, any in or out-of-court ‘payoffs’ can actually become a further form of victimization. The victims are far too valuable and too much was taken from them to ever be paid back.

It is significant that no one for the Archdiocese is arguing that none of the molestation claims are real. It is not a question of ‘if’ the crimes happened in California, but ‘how many times”. God help us! Whether 750 people were molested or even one—these are horrible crimes that the church should have been aggressively pursuing with all energies—no matter how long ago the reported abuses took place—no matter what the cost. So where are the public confessions? Where are the public validations of the crimes against the victims? How dare anyone related to the church of Jesus Christ argue that ‘some claims are demonstrably false’. Even if there was only one single case of child abuse by any priest or staff, that should have been enough for a deep repentant public coming-clean.

For the good of the victims, the victim’s families and communities, the church should have immediately and willingly sought to expose all crimes publicly—resisting any smell of a cover-up. The guilty should have come clean and openly repented, been officially disciplined and de-frocked; police investigators brought in to consider appropriate legal charges. Then the church could have honestly focused on the healing of the victims.

Any cover up—any delay—any blameshifting or shielding of the perpetrators is ‘anathema’. These only further victimize the individuals. Functionally, the church by doing these proclaims a very impotent gospel—and further loses any credibility. This is a tragic sign of the ongoing secularization of the church.

But, having said all of this, it is not too late for the California Dioceses and the RCC as a whole to gird their loins and do the right thing. They can take massive baby steps to finally honor victims even after all these years.

To the perpetrators—No matter what legal advice you are being given—it is time to come clean. Act out of your belief in the gospel, in the finished work on Jesus Christ for all your sins and come clean. Publicly admit what horrific crimes that you perpetrated against helpless children. Whether it was yesterday or 70 years ago—it doesn’t really matter. Why do you have to wait for the courts to decide? Confess! Likewise, you priests, officials and staff who furthered the abuse through indifference, denial and cover-up—it is time for you too to come clean….

Preach the gospel boldly by your actions. Wasn’t it Francis of Assisi who said “Preach the gospel at all times, and if necessary, use words.”

July 16 2007

This week the Los Angeles Catholic archdiocese agreed to settle out of court with the more than 500 victims of clergy abuse. The settlement amounts to over $660 million; so with $264 million of legal fees etc., each victim should get on average $1.3 million.

Yesterday, Cardinal Roger Mahoney offered an apology.

“There really is no way to go back and give them that innocence that was taken from them…The one thing I which I could give victims, I cannot.”

He was referring to the ability to restore victims to pre-crime innocence.

As part of the settlement the church must release the priest’s confidential personnel files; so victims should prepare themselves for future bombshells no doubt—perhaps evidence of other victims, or cover-ups, etc. One suspects that Mary Grant, the spokesperson for the Survivor Network of Those Abused by Priest, was mildly prophetic when she said, “This is not over.”

Cardinal Mahoney, so much more than innocence was taken from the victims. The ability to have a childlike trust in authority, in particular the trust in spiritual leadership was robbed from these precious ones. The important image of God as a good father was horribly tainted and corrupted. Their desire and ability to be vulnerable in future relationships and in particular intimate ones has been stripped from them. They will have severe identity struggles—am I an object of value, or of trash? No one should have to experience that path.

They will struggle with trust, with fear, with anger, with feeling dirty, soiled, fragmented. These will struggle to enter faith communities of any kind. They will have new protective boundaries that surround – sometime strangle– their hearts and souls. Participating in Mass/Communion will be wildly ambivalent, emotions raging and swinging from indifference to pain. In so many ways, they have been robbed of the human ability to access God’s power through the means of grace allotted to the church.

For what it is worth, it is my settled opinion that this tragedy was not handled well by the archdiocese at all. See my letter to the archdiocese from months ago also posted on the blog sight (‘[It’s Time to Come Clean’-Reprint from 1/2004).

Now having said all of that, let me offer good news for the victims of the abuse, and not only this abuse but religious abuse of all stripes from all denominations and religions. Clearly, this is not merely a Catholic problem. Or a Christian problem. Sexual abuse is unfortunately far too common to our race.

So here is the good news!

Victim, there will come a time when you finally will have your trial. It will be before an objective Judge who knows everything that went down. He is not confused by the cover-up or nuances of the law. He is not impressed by slick lawyers. He is perfectly and objectively just. He also knows perfectly the value of what was taken. He knows. He knows the debt that you felt, what was taken from you—and all of the consequences—the ongoing costs of the crime.

There will come a time when you will stand before Him as the plaintiff of great honor (not just one of many bundled in a class action suit) and will be given voice to cry out, to languish, to vent, to express your pain and loss, to accuse in anger. This God/Judge will give you voice (See Revelation 6:10 for an example of heavenly testimony) because you are not merely a nuisance, but an image of the Judge Himself. Then God will issue a perfect verdict. He will point His Holy, holy, holy finger at the perpetrator and proclaim with the same voice that originally spoke into the chaos and say, “Guilty!”

But victim—here is the really good news. Cardinal Mahoney was correct. He doesn’t have the power to restore things to pre-crime status. But this Celestial Shepherd Judge does and will. Victim, no matter who you are, what you believe, or frankly what you have done—hear this good news. You will be perfectly made whole—the years the locusts (or abusers) have eaten will be restored—to your full satisfaction. You will be made so whole that you will say, “I have been fully paid back for all losses!” The Judge’s decision of the $1.3 million dollars was only a first fruit of that. So much more than that was taken. You are an image bearer of God Himself and therefore a masterpiece. This is a mere pittance of what true heavenly Justice will require to fill the gaping whole of your soul—to still the pain. In fact, cash settlements, as helpful as they are, really only devalue victims further. God has deep, deep pockets filled with the stuff that your soul is most deeply longing for. You will be filled with such things as ‘glory’ ‘substance’ ‘peace’ ‘joy’, ‘the height and length and width and depth of the love of Christ’. There is still hope for you in the promises of God. You will be restored by God Himself—He promises (Ex 34:6ff). No crime will go unpunished.

Do I have to wait? No! Biblically, you don’t have to wait. God has provided a way—a portal, an access point today for you by faith. In Christ, through the Holy Spirit you can begin to powerfully access this future promise now. That is what this blog is all about. Come into the forgiveness labyrinth today. Linger.

It seems to me that the California out of trial settlement offers you good news and bad news. The euphoria of the settlement is now present, but it will be displaced by the sadness and despair—when the victims realize that it didn’t really scratch the itch. No doubt so much hope was put on the trial to set the victims free from the pain so that they could finally, after so many years begin the rest of their lvies. “Now I can gird my loins and get on with my life!” But the pain, the devaluing and all of the consequences of that are still there. Your hope – your present hope of beginning real healing is not in the money, but in the power of the love of Christ. Check out Eph 3:14ff. Access by faith the fullness of God.

My prayers are with you in this journey.

PB