Is the Catholic Church doing enough for survivors of abuse?

On January 18, students and faculty received an email from Viterbo President Glena Temple regarding the La Crosse Diocese releasing the names of members of the church involved in the child sexual abuse allegations. This list contained 25 names, and one of them was J. Thomas Finucan, a former president of Viterbo University. The email was sent to continue the focus on transparency between the college and its administration. Dr. Temple sent the email to have students and faculty receive the information from her rather than other media outlets. Dr. Temple also expressed that Viterbo was “In support of the Diocese releasing the statement.” With this statement, the survivors can now begin the healing process that they’d been denied without the closure and justice of having public knowledge and justice for the abusers. Has the church done enough, though?

Unfortunately, in the past, the Catholic church has gotten a bad reputation because of the number of allegations against priests who have sexually assaulted members of their flock. According to statistics, one in four girls and one in six boys will be sexually assaulted by the time they are 18.

The number of priests who commit this crime is not as high as the media would lead us to believe. However, “Even just one is one too many,” says Sr. Laura Nettles. This conversation is not a new thing. The media attention has brought it to light; however, it has been an ongoing process under the new Pope. Things have become more vocalized as communities come together to continue the healing process for all survivors of sexual assault.

On Saturday, Jan. 18, Bishop William Patrick Callahan released a formal apology to survivors and their families for the pain and suffering. During the statement, he mentioned that survivors stated having it known what happened is a vital part of the healing process.

What other efforts is the church doing? Early in the history they certainly didn’t do enough, but over the years they have gotten much better about understanding the severity of the allegations. Between the 1940s and 1970s, things were handled internally and excluded the local authorities; the offender was pulled from one location and sent to another. The current policies include having the accused immediately removed from their position and a formal police investigation. The outside party helps to dissuade bias and holds the accused to legal actions. The investigations have also been accelerated to aid in the protection of the survivors.

Other than bringing in the authorities, the church has set aside money to help with pain, suffering, and treatment for those who seek it. The La Crosse Diocese and the Catholic Church encourage survivors to seek the help. There have been several support groups set up including SNAP, Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, which is a group is for anyone who has been abused by someone in power including members of church, teachers, and coaches.

Vigorous screening processes have also been put in place. These processes include asking about motives and much more. This process is supposed to help “weed out those predisposed to pedophilia,” Sr Laura Nettles of the FSPA said. “Annual Training called Safe Environment” has also been established. This training includes signs that an adult might see in children who have been abused, signs of an abuser, and what they should do if they believe that abuse is occurring. This training is for children to have a safe place to worship, study, and participate in parish sponsored events.

Transparency is a word that has been brought up over and over throughout conversations, interviews, and even the La Crosse Diocese Bishops statement. What does all that mean? It means that instead of handling things within the church, things are changing. The open communication will hopefully aid in helping to assist those who are hurting. The church is doing now more than ever to try and right past wrongs.

Our hearts go out to the survivors. As a community what can we do? Listen, encourage those to speak out against the abuse and seek the help they are owed. Report it, it doesn’t matter if you were sworn to secrecy and take what is being said seriously. It is a serious offence, and we need to continue to hold the church accountable. Though the La Crosse Diocese was the last to release the information, it appears that they are trying to make things as right as they can. The healing process has just begun, and remember to be kind to one another.