It’s a week late, but I want to thank everyone who visits and contributes their comments to Catholics4Change. We are so grateful. Words are powerful and you’ve shared many here.
I was back in Philadelphia for work and to celebrate Thanksgiving with my family. Kathy Kane along with her husband and daughter had decided to see “Spotlight” the same night that my daughter asked me to see it with her. In a synergy that has marked our friendship and this advocacy, we ended up at the same movie theater for the same showing.
While we watched, I thought about all the people with whom we’ve had the honor of connecting with through this blog since 2011. I thought about all those who fought this battle long before us and all of those who will take it up in the future. I thought about how this tragic systemic cover up changed the trajectory of our faith. How it made it stronger yet at the same time isolated us from the culture and institution that made us who we are. But mostly, I thought about the victims and the children whose lives will be shattered by abuse. And they will be – because not enough has been done.
Not only should the Church stop fighting the legislative reforms and hold Bishops accountable, it should fund the research needed to better understand the root causes of child sex abuse. After a global cover up, it owes society that much and more.
You Susan and your website are truely inspirational.
I would like to take this opportunity to “thank” all of the good and decent priests this Advent season. I am grateful for them and the work that they do for their parishes.
They do deserve our thanks and our prayers. It can’t be easy to work within an institution that has caused such harm. I like to think they continue their vocation because of deep faith in God rather than a faith in Bishops. I have clergy in my family whom I love and respect. These are not mutually exclusive ideas. You can be for clergy and against the institutional cover up of child sex abuse and against Church efforts to stop legal reforms.
When Susan thanks those who ‘contribute” she is referencing contributions of guest blogs.etc..there is no money ever collected by C4C. I think the only time we accepted donations was one situation when we needed to pay for an Inquirer ad a few years back. We are not a non profit..have no Board or employees…but rather a gathering place for people to share their thoughts. That is what has made this work over the years.
I logged on to the site the other day and read the exchange between Pat and Carol. Pat who saw the movie and had a sister who was a victim and Carol who many years ago had been a young nursing student at a facility that she now realized was treating pedophile priests. They were both able to come to the site and share their feelings of betrayal and find comfort from each other. That type of interaction has happened countless times between visitors to C4C over the years and it always makes me thankful that people do not need to go through this alone.
As Susan said we saw the movie with our daughters who are in their teen years, I thought of all the victims who came forward to protect this generation of Catholic children, as a mother I thank each and every one of you.
At the root of the problem, Susan, I’m sure you’ll agree, is clericalism. The prelates knew perfectly well that pedophilia is a felony crime, and yet, somehow, they felt their clerical status put them above the law. And still, still, they drag their feet. And they remain clueless about the enormous damage they’ve done the Church. They point the finger at consumerism, at our godless society, at this, at that.
I do agree.