Ex-priest John J. Geoghan Jr.

As I stated in a column on the matter ten days ago entitled Pedophile Priests in Pursuit of Perversion (March 8) and in which I addressed the issue over a week before most major American newspapers did, American Catholics are now finding themselves facing a crisis of unparalleled proportions that is unlike anything they have had to deal with in well over a century. This current crisis the Church has to deal with is even more devastating than the spiritual equivalent of 9-11. With what is more than likely the payout of over ONE BILLION DOLLARS (and more likely closer to two or three if the true numbers were to come to light) in civil suits being settled, Catholics, as well as all persons of faith have to be asking themselves if there are nobler purposes to church funds than damage control. Due to the standard non-disclosure clauses that often go with out-of-court settlements, the actual number will never be known and as such, the full extent of the damage inflicted on these innocent children (usually boys) will never really be known.

With the damage becoming as widespread as it seems to have become, the hunt for rogue priests is on in full swing. In Portland, Maine, Cumberland County District Attorney Stephanie Anderson wants the records of every living priest that has ever had a complaint of sexual misconduct ever leveled against him. From there, her office will reverse trace the entire careers of the suspected priests in order to determine what charges if any are to be filed. Given that the church’s credibility has suffered a hit that could only be described as nuclear in its devastation, they are scrambling to regroup and are now playing canary in an effort to regain credibility not only with the legal community but also with their individual parishioners as well.

Not only have the parishioners taken a major hit, but the moral authority of the bishops – which they fought long and hard to earn in the first place – has also taken a huge hit as well. We have decent priests – with clean records and no pedophile tendencies who will not return hugs given them by children because of the current atmosphere of fear that has swept throughout their vocation. The actions of a handful of rogue priests have tarnished the positive ongoing contributions of so many through the years that has made the priesthood and ministry of all faiths an honorable and meaningful profession.

Unused School

As I indicated 10 days ago in my previous column indicated above, the hits the church has taken financially has reached the point to where they are scrambling to cover the costs of the damages. In Dallas, Texas, where a judgment went against the church for $119.6 million, church lawyers were able to negotiate the final award down to $31 million, with insurance covering $20 million and the diocese was stuck for the remaining 11. Church members kicked in some of the money and in the case of Dallas, there was some excess property sold off to pay off the difference, much to the dissatisfaction and even anger of local Hispanic members who didn’t want the empty school (St. Ann’s, left) sold off – an institution they considered sacred, given the local history of the building, which dated back over 70 years.

With all the money that has been spent in settling these cases of abuse, we need to remember the larger picture here, and that is the need to reestablish the sacred trust between priests and other ministers and their flocks as well as the need to remember that not all members of the cloth are predators out to satisfy base desires.

What is also needed are changes in mandatory reporting laws. In my home state of New York for example, priests are exempt from mandatory reporting laws regarding abuse in this area. On the other hand, in Ontario, Canada, the law specifically states that any disclosure of abuse to a member of the clergy must be reported; the penalties for failure to report are severe, and in the church of which I am a member, the church will not protect its leaders if it is shown they willfully failed to report such conduct after it was disclosed to them. Further, when a member makes such a disclosure to their church leader, they are informed at that time that there is a legal reporting requirement.

So, as America gets to the bottom of the latest scandal involving priests and boys, we need to keep in mind that while priests and other ministers play a role in the lives of our children, that their first and foremost teachers and role models are by both proximity and by divine commission are none other than the ones who brought them into the world with the help of not only the God who gave them life – that’s right – you guessed it, Mom and Dad.