Proposed Changes After the McCarrick Report

Frank - church at night
The Vatican’s release of the McCarrick report on November 10, 2020, brought public shock, sadness, blame, finger-pointing, and hope for change in the future. An overview of how the former cardinal got away with his sex abuse behavior for so long is condensed in an NCR article.
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While our understandable rubber-necking at the reprehensible acts, cunning, and McCarrick’s longevity in the Church hierarchy, the fact of the matter is the damage has already been done. What is most important now, is deciding how to protect the church, children, other priests, seminarians, and the faithful from this point forward. The Church must do more to identify sexual predators, remove them from service, and inform the flock. The Pope has stated he will work to end sexual abuse in the Church and the report’s candid revelations signal change.

The Laity Should Take a Larger Role
In recent years, it has struck me how much the laity lacks influence within the Church. They have had to resort to showing their displeasure about the sex scandals in the media, withholding financial support, leaving the faith, and through lawsuits. I think the Catholic laity can take a lesson from the playbook of the history of labor unions. I do not suggest Catholic parishes should have to contend with their own members in an adversarial role. Yet, the Catholic laity might well form into groups to take on functions that the Church has shown itself to unable to do. One such function is conducting initial level interviews and assessments of potential sex abuse allegations. 
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Create an Avenue For Complaints and Investigations
The whole Church ought to adopt a system to receive sex abuse allegations confidentially and initiate informal fact-finding investigations. I am suggesting the Church consider implementing something akin to a misconduct investigation done in employment settings. These are quick, simple inquiries to provide an outline of what happened, which may clarify or forestall any formal filing of misconduct or discrimination. In my opinion, for it to work well, this preliminary evaluation of sex abuse complaints should include certain ground rules:
  •  The victim is named and submits to a face-to-face interview.
  •  The alleged perpetrator is also personally interviewed.
  •  Interviewers and assessors are from the laity.
  • A permanent confidential record is created and maintained outside the possession of the Church; 5) Investigations are conducted under the supervision of an attorney, rendering files legally privileged and undisclosable, (akin to morbidity boards in medicine or aircraft mishap boards in aviation).
  • Church officials could consult the files prior to transferring a priest or advancing him. Substantiated claims would, however, require immediate notification to Church officials, criminal prosecutors, or child protective services where required by law.

The “Family Advocacy” programs used by the military provide alternative models for fashioning an auxiliary laity-run function for the Church. The military’s Family Advocacy programs focus on child and domestic abuse within military service families. These programs are very broad, encompassing prevention, training, therapeutic treatment. However, it is the personnel investigatory and record-keeping provisions which might be adaptable prototypes for a new laity sex abuse investigation program.

Communicate
The other major undertaking which I think would help bandage up the Church’s sexual abuse wounds is to repeatedly present a broad, clear restatement to Catholics and the world on homosexuality. The 2004 John Jay report on child sex abuse in the Church was viewed by many as disingenuous. It opined that child sexual abuse was not necessarily related to homosexuals in the priesthood, yet over 80% of the victims were male. (pgs.36, 69 of the report.)
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The 2011 follow-up study found heterosexual and homosexual priests participated in the abuse and it introduced a hair-splitting non-pedophile category, “ephebophiles,” who sought out adolescents. I would bet that many Catholics viewed this as I did, as simply tap dancing around the cold, hard truth – perhaps to avoid the ire of some very vocal gay advocacy groups. As my former Bishop’s 2018 blistering diocesan letter opined, the real problem has been the Church’s toleration of a ‘homosexual subculture.  If that does not stop, the same horrors will likely happen again. Now is a prudent time for the Church to acknowledge that some homosexual conduct has been associated with, or has manifested as a child and teen sexual abuse and other homosexual harassment.

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The Church has admirably made outreach efforts to the LBGT community. Indeed, we are required to treat homosexual persons with compassion, respect, and sensitivity and avoid any unjust discrimination of them. (CCC 2538). However, in doing so, the Church must be cautious not to appear to yield on its basic beliefs. Catholicism regards homosexual conduct as gravely sinful, opposes same-sex attracted (SSA) marriage, and does not acknowledge transgenderism. Any Catholic LBGT outreach effort must call out sinful behavior. It should not include, for example, “support” for gay pride month. It must not accept or ignore homosexual conduct while honoring the dignity of individual LBGT persons.

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The Church should highlight the authentic Catholic ministries of Courage and EnCourage, which were established to help SSA persons and their families. The greater Church should clamp down on or correct any misleading Catholic LBGT teachings which have been professed and tolerated up to now.

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1 thought on “Proposed Changes After the McCarrick Report”

  1. I’m so fed up with the abuses from our priests and religious, between abuses of pedophilia, of practicing homosexual acts, and of breaking the vow of chastity.

    If it wasn’t for the Eucharist and saints, I’d go shopping.

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