Today’s reflections point to the complex reality survivors experience when engaging with both canon and civil lawyers. (If you missed Part 1, you can find those insights here.) After I reported to my bishop via letter, I was summoned to the chancery for an interview with the diocesan counsel (a man) and the person designated to be a victim advocate (a woman). The interview itself was amicable and business-like, but afterward my only recourse was to speak with the woman wrongly titled an "advocate." She was harsh and condescending. I strongly believe, based on what has transpired since the interview, that the only purpose for the interview was to have counsel and staff gauge liability and to control any negative effect to the diocese.
Sara, I cannot express how important that what your doing is. I am heartily sorry for what has happened to these survivors. For the record, these assults where a deep violation to thier person and should have never happened to them. Its was wrong and cannot be forgiven until justice is searved. Getting the word out so that these violations are front and center of every parshioner's mind when they drop money in that basker each Sunday is crucial. This money is being used to cover up criminal activity by the church. I have been encouraging parishoners to leave an anonymous note in the basket on Sunday stating that their donation is being forwarded to a particular survivor themselves or to a survivors advocacy group. Let me know what you think. In a sign of solidarity please subscribe to my Substack as I will be covering this in the next several articles I publish. If you have time please read my most recent article and comment. Lets get the conversation "front and center." Peace always to you and to those in your care, Guy
Finding it difficult reading about survivors experiences of clerical sex abuse that names of cleric abusers, complicit or “winking” prelates and diocesan leadership’s complicit staff names are omitted from your survivor accounts.
It was enormously liberating to watch the heroic women & amateur PI’s, Gemma Hoskins & Abbie Fitzgerald Schaub expose the horrendous crimes of not-Reverends Joseph Maskell & E. Neil Magnus in the Netflix series “The Keepers, Who Killed Sister Cathy”;
The courage it took for survivors Jean Hardagon Wehner & Teresa Lancaster to stand-up against immoral and corrupt Baltimore Archbishops William Lori, Edwin O’Brien and William Keeler is commendable.
Until their elite Catholic boys club is shut down with the ordination married persons and women deacons, priests, bishops, the Catholic Church hierarchy will continue to suffer from its institutional vice, counterfeit virtue while us pew sitters are inflicted with the attendant moral injury from these bishops.
Sara, I cannot express how important that what your doing is. I am heartily sorry for what has happened to these survivors. For the record, these assults where a deep violation to thier person and should have never happened to them. Its was wrong and cannot be forgiven until justice is searved. Getting the word out so that these violations are front and center of every parshioner's mind when they drop money in that basker each Sunday is crucial. This money is being used to cover up criminal activity by the church. I have been encouraging parishoners to leave an anonymous note in the basket on Sunday stating that their donation is being forwarded to a particular survivor themselves or to a survivors advocacy group. Let me know what you think. In a sign of solidarity please subscribe to my Substack as I will be covering this in the next several articles I publish. If you have time please read my most recent article and comment. Lets get the conversation "front and center." Peace always to you and to those in your care, Guy
Sara,
Finding it difficult reading about survivors experiences of clerical sex abuse that names of cleric abusers, complicit or “winking” prelates and diocesan leadership’s complicit staff names are omitted from your survivor accounts.
It was enormously liberating to watch the heroic women & amateur PI’s, Gemma Hoskins & Abbie Fitzgerald Schaub expose the horrendous crimes of not-Reverends Joseph Maskell & E. Neil Magnus in the Netflix series “The Keepers, Who Killed Sister Cathy”;
The courage it took for survivors Jean Hardagon Wehner & Teresa Lancaster to stand-up against immoral and corrupt Baltimore Archbishops William Lori, Edwin O’Brien and William Keeler is commendable.
Until their elite Catholic boys club is shut down with the ordination married persons and women deacons, priests, bishops, the Catholic Church hierarchy will continue to suffer from its institutional vice, counterfeit virtue while us pew sitters are inflicted with the attendant moral injury from these bishops.
Sincerely,
Robert
Milwaukee