Statement Regarding Clergy Sexual Abuse in the Catholic Church

The Leadership Conference of Women Religious has issued a statement regarding the sexual abuse committed by Catholic Priests. As members of LCWR, the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary join Dubuque area congregations to affirm their statement below. We, too, grieve with all who have been abused, call upon church leaders to make changes needed, and pray for peace and healing for all involved.

• Sister Patricia Clark, SVM, Visitation Sisters
• Sister Teri Hadro, BVM, Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
• Sister Toni Harris, OP, Sinsinawa Dominicans
• Sister Carmen Hernandez, PBVM, Sisters of the Presentation
• Sister Kate Katoski, OSF, Sisters of St. Francis of Dubuque 

The recent news detailing the extensive and sometimes brutal sexual abuse committed by Catholic priests in the United States has left us at the Leadership Conference of Women Religious sickened and ashamed of the church we love, trusted, and have committed our lives to serve. We weep and grieve with all who over the decades have been victimized by sexual predators within the faith community and feel their pain as our own. We recognize that the damage done to many is irreparable.

Sexual abuse is a horrific crime, and the horror is so much worse when committed by persons in whom society has placed its trust and confidence. Equally difficult to comprehend is the culture within the church hierarchy that tolerated the abuse, left children and vulnerable adults subject to further abuse, and created practices that covered up the crimes and protected the abusers.

We call upon the church leadership to implement plans immediately to support more fully the healing of all victims of clergy abuse, hold abusers accountable, and work to uncover and address the root causes of the sexual abuse crisis.  We believe that the work to implement the 2002 Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People and its subsequent revisions has been an important and effective step in addressing allegations of sexual abuse of minors by clergy. We have watched the Conference of Major Superiors of Men diligently work to assure the protection and safety of children and youth and applaud its efforts. However, it is clear that more serious action needs to be taken to assure that the culture of secrecy and cover-up ends.

We also call upon church leaders to attend to the severe erosion of the church’s moral standing in the world. Its members are angry, confused, and struggling to find ways to make sense of the church’s failings. The church leadership needs to speak with honesty and humility about how this intolerable culture developed and how that culture will now be deconstructed and to create places where church members can express our anger and heartbreak. We call on the leaders to include competent members of the laity more fully in the work to eradicate abuse and change the culture, policies, and practices. We are committed to collaborating in the essential work of healing and transformation that our church so desperately needs.

Finally, we recognize that the vast majority of priests have not committed abuse and are suffering greatly because of the actions of some of their brothers. We offer them our prayer and support as they continue their ministries in these very challenging times and as they too struggle to understand the complexity of factors that led to this deplorable situation.

We encourage any individual who may have been abused to contact Victim Assistance at 563-599-6328.