Where is the discussion on the Child Sex Abuse Issue? Is it on any Bishop’s agenda? Watch The 2011 Fall General Assembly, as posted on the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Web site.
Special thanks to Jerry Slevin for this submission. This Thanksgiving, Kathy and I are especially grateful for our readership and those of you who comment and contribute. You are Catholics4Change and you are making a difference for those who care about the Church, victims and children. Thank you.
thanksgiving,
they thank us for giving them our church contributions for their lawyers .
Anytime that the USCCB in the next 20 years does not address the child sexual assault issue they contribute to the cover up, to the denial and to the hope that the tragedy will fade from the laity’s minds. Same goes for Sunday sermons. Same goes for Penn State. Same goes for boys and girls clubs, the Boy Scouts of America, public schools and private schools, orphanages and child welfare agencies – any other place of worship or where children are vulnerable and exploited. It would be refreshing to see a group of devout and committed priests and nuns gather to take leadership on this issue and show the management of The Church what they should be doing. As the elderly mother of a friend of mine says: “I’d rather see a sermon than listen to one.
Reid
Reid, two days ago in Madison Wisconsin, I think ‘a sermon in action occurred’:
Vice Chancellor Father James O Connell of the Milwaukee Archdiocese standing in the State Capitol, Madison, with victims advocates, victims, and legislators sponsoring the Wisconsin Child Protection Act, ( a no nonsense bill that would lift the civil statute of limitations on child sex abuse and open a two year window for all abused to bring the offender AND those proven to have covered up the criminal activity of the offender to justice,) called on Wisconsin bishops and Catholics to support the legislation on Nov 23.
WOULD THAT THIS WOULD HAPPEN IN Philadelphia and PA!
WHY can a Wisconsin AD official do this and NOT a Philadelphia or other PA diocesan officials do the same?
If its right in Wisconsin, surely it is right in PA?
AND throughout the nation?
In closing his remarks from the Senate Parlor, Connell spoke words that victims and their families have been long been waiting to hear from priests and church officials:
“I would encourage the bishops in the state of Wisconsin and the entire catholic community here in the state to follow the example of our own church law and to change the laws as necessary to actually serve the needs of justice, in this case, serving the needs of those who are victims of clergy sexual abuse. So, I do support this legislation and I ask the entire community, the catholic community, and our bishops to join in this support.”
Susan,
It took me the longest time to realize they simply do not care.
I would read articles, I would comb anything that came from the diocese searching for any glimmer of hope that someone cared about this topic.
I see C4C doing the same…looking and searching and hoping for a glimmer of hope somewhere.
The fact that something this horrible is not on their agenda is a classic sign of shame-filled abusers. “If we act as if this isn’t happening, then we can move on. We have more important things to handle right now.” Deny, deny, deny. What could possibly be more important than the abuse of children and thousands leaving the rcc in droves because of their handling of it? Liturgical changes? They look like fools.
I expected no less from them. My hope is that catholics in the pews will be as upset about their continued silence on this topic as they are about the millions of dollars they are blowing on defense attorneys and their closed parishes and schools.
Thank you C4C community.
On Thanksgiving day, in 1997, my beautiful, kind and gentle brother, Bill, took his own life. Since then, the holiday for my family has been a day of giving thanks for his life, the memories he left behind, and the lessons we learned from him. Bill is among the inordinate number of sexual abuse victims who did not survive.
Today is the first Thanksgiving since Bill’s death that I have ever experienced any degree of peace or hope. This Thanksgiving, I feel different.
Thank you Kathy and Susan, and everyone in the C4C community, for your comments, efforts, insights and work on behalf of children and the victims of sexual abuse. Thanks to you, it is with peace and hope, today, that I remember Bill.
Hadit, I’m happy you have peace and hope today.
I have so much gratitude for this community, for Susan and Kathy…for everyone who has worked for the protection of children. Thank you to all!
Today, as we hold hands with our families, I will be remembering all the victims who didn’t make it out of this pain, those who spoke up years ago and led the way for others to come forward, for those who are still suffering…and for those who are standing in the gap for all victims. This is where there is hope.
Had It,
Peace and hope.
Susan
Thankyou for sharing that with us.
Hadit catholic
Just heard the good news Cardinal Law was dismissed from his postion at the vatican recently. Saw it on Realcatholictv.com news section. Yes there is hope for change.
Thank you Susan, Kathy and all C4C supporters for giving us all some hope. Thank you as well to all those who have survived sexual abuse, or know survivors, for so generously sharing your painful stories or just for reading our comments and clicking on your approval.
Let us all hope and pray next Thanksgiving we will be thanking God for helping us get enacted new state and federal laws to really protect children and to finally provide justice for all survivors. This will happen as God continues to work through C4C.
http://boston.cbslocal.com/2011/11/21/disgraced-ex-boston-archbishop-cardinal-law-leaves-rome-job/
Dear Hadit,
My heart goes out to you. When all is said and done in life, when the meaning of life is embraced, it is love and relationships with friends and family that count the most – nothing more. Your example and your testimony is worth a thousand sermons.
Peace.
Reid
Thank you so much, everyone!
Had it Catholic, I read you very moving post and only because we are facing a robbery and home invasion crisis, neglected to tell you that my heart goes out to you, and I happen to believe in prayer and have been praying for all the C4C folks, but especially for you.
It is the grace of God that keeps us on track, supporting our wounded and, yes, forgiving those who have sinned against us. But, we, though wounded, are not fools. We must keep blogging–Thank you Susan and Kathy for providing this space. Thank you all for writing and sharing your hope…
If Cardinal Law has been thrown under the bus by the Vatican, it is all to the good. If there are chinks in the armor of those powerful poseurs, that is all to the good as well. However, looking at the website for the USCCB, I see only sound and fury signifying nothing.
WE HAVE A LONG ROAD AHEAD OF US. WE MUST KEEP PRAYING FOR CIVIL JUSTICE. WE MUST WORK FOR CIVIL JUSTICE. May we have the grace to perservere with grace.