Thank you for writing about your experience. As a survivor of clergy abuse I can totally relate to everything you said. It is an awful journey and the Church takes very little notice. They just want their sheltered, cosy little bubble, to remain undisturbed.
I meant to add that I was also a monk/priest when I went to the police about my abuse, with the result that my abuser went to prison. But two weeks into his sentence the Bishop allowed a Mass to be celebrated in the cathedral for my abuser, who had been Dean of the Cathedral up to his arrest, on the Feast of the Holy Innocents. That was the last straw for me.
Thank you so much for writing this and bringing a clear picture to many of us. Your strength in addressing this topic is amazing and important. As Paul Murphy-Sanderson says in his comment below, the Church works fervently on maintaining their "cozy little bubble," of power, money and evil. You bring the reality of God to this corrupt group of men. You are the victory for God, thank you!
Marian, thank you for reading and for sharing these words of support. I'm glad you found these reflections valuable.
While I work to draw attention to the ongoing problems of abuse and institutional betrayal in the Catholic Church, I also want to note that I believe "the Church" is much more than any corrupt individual or group of people. There are many of us in the Church who are working to raise awareness, work for transformation, and foster healing. In fact, many of the reflections in this post come from survivors who are practicing Catholics, and because I am a committed Catholic, this blog itself is actually a work of the Church.
I agree with your assessment of the RCC. I do not consider it a safe place for survivors of child sexual abuse by clergy nor children or women.
The “cozy, little bubble” of the RCC, as Paul Murphy-Sanderson described, has for centuries been maintained by the complicity of the clergy, “sacred silence,” a promise made to protect each other and the institution no matter the crime, character or conduct.
From my personal experience, I find it very risky to trust a priest because “when push comes to shove,” they simply cannot be relied upon to do what is right. Centuries of Catholic history attest.
Psychiatry, social sciences, law enforcement and the legal community never encourage trust and reparation with an abusive spouse or partner. So why would we trust the RCC?
Its continued denial and stonewalling survivors, spending millions to deny justice and millions more on attorneys and lobbyists to fight against the passage of laws allowing survivors to seek justice and a Pope Leo who is promoting “false claims and priests’ rights,” on the face of his own murky cover-ups, show us the Church is not serious about the unequivocal protection of its members nor transparency and accountability.
Exacerbated by its refusal to establish a binding global law of zero tolerance entered into the canons.
Great summary and I agree. After reading numerous legal cases & Atty Gen Rpts - it shows a lack of cooperation and a "group think." We must always protect the children. Looking at the evidence, so far, approximately 6,500 credibly accused predator Priests in America alone with 40 Diocese declaring bankruptcy mainly due to child abuse Judgments and Settlements.
San Francisco made a recent settlement of $395 million to 537 survivors with the Archbishop to write apology letters to each person, while San Diego Diocese has a current 461 child abuse claims against it. Both Diocese already had million dollar settlements/judgments made years prior. This is just 2 dioceses alone, and this is a worldwide problem.
Archbishop Fulton Sheen warned of this infiltration and anti-God platform. The RCC is at a pivotal point. The Satanic & Atheist organizations are pushing for LGBTQ+ legal rights and the "Equality Act" - if a Pope were to also promote this ideology, Catholics could possibly loose their legal right to speak against it. The Canon Codes, Bible and congregation become key to bringing the RCC back to Godly family values. Considering, Jesus chose a married man to be the first Pope, this should be researched further..."traditional thinking"... which is now also under attack...Glory be to our great God as he directs us through this crisis!
“The truth does not go away just because it is inconvenient to those around us” is such a powerful line. Isolation becomes even heavier when survivors are expected to carry the truth alone, so spaces where people are believed and witnessed really matter.
Thank you for writing about your experience. As a survivor of clergy abuse I can totally relate to everything you said. It is an awful journey and the Church takes very little notice. They just want their sheltered, cosy little bubble, to remain undisturbed.
I meant to add that I was also a monk/priest when I went to the police about my abuse, with the result that my abuser went to prison. But two weeks into his sentence the Bishop allowed a Mass to be celebrated in the cathedral for my abuser, who had been Dean of the Cathedral up to his arrest, on the Feast of the Holy Innocents. That was the last straw for me.
Paul, I am so sorry for the abuse you experienced, and the ongoing betrayal by Church leaders. You deserved so much better.
Thank you so much for writing this and bringing a clear picture to many of us. Your strength in addressing this topic is amazing and important. As Paul Murphy-Sanderson says in his comment below, the Church works fervently on maintaining their "cozy little bubble," of power, money and evil. You bring the reality of God to this corrupt group of men. You are the victory for God, thank you!
Marian, thank you for reading and for sharing these words of support. I'm glad you found these reflections valuable.
While I work to draw attention to the ongoing problems of abuse and institutional betrayal in the Catholic Church, I also want to note that I believe "the Church" is much more than any corrupt individual or group of people. There are many of us in the Church who are working to raise awareness, work for transformation, and foster healing. In fact, many of the reflections in this post come from survivors who are practicing Catholics, and because I am a committed Catholic, this blog itself is actually a work of the Church.
I agree with your assessment of the RCC. I do not consider it a safe place for survivors of child sexual abuse by clergy nor children or women.
The “cozy, little bubble” of the RCC, as Paul Murphy-Sanderson described, has for centuries been maintained by the complicity of the clergy, “sacred silence,” a promise made to protect each other and the institution no matter the crime, character or conduct.
From my personal experience, I find it very risky to trust a priest because “when push comes to shove,” they simply cannot be relied upon to do what is right. Centuries of Catholic history attest.
Psychiatry, social sciences, law enforcement and the legal community never encourage trust and reparation with an abusive spouse or partner. So why would we trust the RCC?
Its continued denial and stonewalling survivors, spending millions to deny justice and millions more on attorneys and lobbyists to fight against the passage of laws allowing survivors to seek justice and a Pope Leo who is promoting “false claims and priests’ rights,” on the face of his own murky cover-ups, show us the Church is not serious about the unequivocal protection of its members nor transparency and accountability.
Exacerbated by its refusal to establish a binding global law of zero tolerance entered into the canons.
Great summary and I agree. After reading numerous legal cases & Atty Gen Rpts - it shows a lack of cooperation and a "group think." We must always protect the children. Looking at the evidence, so far, approximately 6,500 credibly accused predator Priests in America alone with 40 Diocese declaring bankruptcy mainly due to child abuse Judgments and Settlements.
San Francisco made a recent settlement of $395 million to 537 survivors with the Archbishop to write apology letters to each person, while San Diego Diocese has a current 461 child abuse claims against it. Both Diocese already had million dollar settlements/judgments made years prior. This is just 2 dioceses alone, and this is a worldwide problem.
Archbishop Fulton Sheen warned of this infiltration and anti-God platform. The RCC is at a pivotal point. The Satanic & Atheist organizations are pushing for LGBTQ+ legal rights and the "Equality Act" - if a Pope were to also promote this ideology, Catholics could possibly loose their legal right to speak against it. The Canon Codes, Bible and congregation become key to bringing the RCC back to Godly family values. Considering, Jesus chose a married man to be the first Pope, this should be researched further..."traditional thinking"... which is now also under attack...Glory be to our great God as he directs us through this crisis!
“The truth does not go away just because it is inconvenient to those around us” is such a powerful line. Isolation becomes even heavier when survivors are expected to carry the truth alone, so spaces where people are believed and witnessed really matter.