Fallout from the Grand Jury Report

Cardinal Donald Wuerl came under fire this week in the Pennsylvania Grand Jury Report about Catholic Clergy Sexual Abuse. Is the criticism of Cardinal Wuerl fair?

In 1988, then Bishop of Pittsburgh Wuerl met with victims of clergy sex abuse despite warnings from attorneys representing the diocese not to meet. Cardinal Wuerl removed from active ministry 18 out of 19 priests accused of sexual abuse. He fought a reinstatement of a priest who appealed his removal by Bishop Wuerl to the Vatican. When ordered to return the priest to active ministry, Bishop Wuerl refused and fought it. Eventually the Vatican agreed with Wuerl. Then Bishop Wuerl established a Diocese Review Board to examine abuse allegations in 1989. It was an era when most people didn't understand what sexual abuse was.

The Grand Jury report contains some uncorrected errors. The biggest problem is that the evidence offered in the report used a memo attributed to Cardinal Wuerl that isn't even in his handwriting. It was not written by Cardinal Wuerl. The memo said there should not be a 'circle of secrecy' regarding clergy sexual abuse. The AG's office was notified of this error and didn't bother to correct it. Now, that phrase is misquoted to imply there is an ongoing cover-up.

Why this Grand Jury report now? Almost all the alleged abusers are dead. The bishops that are accused of covering up abuse are dead. The Catholic Church has been reporting abuse, settling old cases, offering counseling, and carefully screening seminarians in the US for twenty years now—long before the Pennsylvania Grand Jury Report. Of course we need to continue to make sure sexual abuse is stamped out, but is this report the best way?

Politics may have some influence on which institutions are investigated. Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro is endorsed by Planned Parenthood and the National Organization of Women (NOW). The Catholic Church is a pro-life institution while the public schools are not. In fact, the teachers unions support abortion rights as does AG Shapiro.

AG Shapiro is a supporter of gay marriage. The Grand Jury report quoted in countless news media leaves out the fact that 81% of Catholic clergy sexual abuse was homosexual in nature with older teens being a target.

Homosexual priests were the main abusers--certainly that was the case in my Pennsylvania diocese in the 1980s. Of course, many homosexual priests were faithful servants too. This was a crisis because some homosexual priests did not practice chastity. The majority of cases involve teenage males.

Instead of spending millions of taxpayer dollars on a report about past offenses that are not prosecutable because of the statute of limitations in the state law, wouldn't it make sense to protect today's children from public school teachers, clergy from all faiths, Scout leaders, and coaches who may prey on them?

No one has ever looked at if public schools are adequately protecting kids. Parents are required to send their children to school and the majority use public schools, yet we have no accountability in those institutions for the safety of these children. No lawmakers from Pennsylvania have a bill ready to protect public school children from sexual abuse, or a way to seek financial reparation for past abuses.

There is very little information available about how to report suspected sexual abuse in public schools, past or present. I found one mention of the public schools on the Catholic League site which stated public school victims have only ninety days to file a suit claiming sexual abuse. Where is the justice for those victims? 

As we consider the fallout from this report we must remember we are a Church first. As a Church, we deal with sinners. Just as a doctor wants a patient to get well regardless of if he is a criminal or not the Church wants sinners to be saved no matter how terrible the sin. We cannot expect the State to consider this mission, but we members of the Body of Christ must remember this when we are asked to pass judgment on this report.

The duel dimensions of body and soul are real. We must help the victims, and we must pray for all who are caught up in these sins. Otherwise, we have no hope.