Abuse in the church

Recently, it was reported that in two sections of the country over 150 young people had been molested by Roman Catholic priests or religious leaders.  This number applied only to one order of the Catholic church—the Jesuits.  This is a staggering number that applies only to two areas of the country and only to the Jesuits.  The other Jesuit provinces are preparing their reports, which will be released soon.  Will the other orders make similar findings public?  The report has hastened to note that many of those on the lists are deceased or are living in supervised settings.  It is unconscionable that this number of priests and religious leaders were protected by the hierarchy of the church rather than being turned over to the local authorities.  It is a well-know fact that over the years the leaders of the church would simply move those accused to another parish rather than handle the matter as the laws dictate.  Such disregard for the impact that these actions have on the victims is unacceptable. 

The magnitude of sexual abuse within the Catholic church has become a well-known public travesty.  While thousands of young people have been molested and abused, their tormentors simply remain in their priestly conclaves.  Those in positions of authority have turned a blind eye to this horrific scandal within the religious community.  In the New York Times alone there were 181 articles relevant to the topic of abuse in the church from March 15, 2016 to December 7, 2018.  This is only one media outlet over a period of approximately two and half years.  It is questionable whether any one topic has been given this amount of attention in a comparable period.  It is not just the actions of the offending clergy, but the lack of holding them accountable by their Archbishops and Cardinals.  Following an investigation by the Justice Department it was found that over 1000 children had suffered abuse throughout Pennsylvania during the time that Archbishop Wuerl was the leader of the church in that state.  He rose to the position of Cardinal and was the Archbishop of the nation’s capital at the time of his resignation.  

In recent years individuals who were victims have come forward and have shared what they have been living with for years.  For many young people, the local priest was someone to trust, honor, and respect, and when this is violated it certainly has a profound effect on the young person.  As these individuals have lived through their tormented hell, they have often observed their molesters go unscathed about their priestly duties.  Websites exist where victims can seek the assistance of lawyers who are specializing in this area of the law.  Included in the websites are 800 numbers that can be called, and the initial consultation is free.  Over 3000 lawsuits have been filed against the church in the United States and it has been estimated the settlements of sex abuse cases from 1950 to 2007 totaled more than $2 billion.  A more recent figure puts that amount at over $3 billion.

An overview of some of the outcomes of cases filed against the church highlights the extent of the problem:  The Diocese of Dallas paid $30.9 million to 12 victims of one priest; the Archdiocese of Louisville paid $25.7 million to settle 240 lawsuits naming 34 priests and other church workers; the Archdiocese of Boston settled a case for $85 million which included 552 alleged victims; the Diocese of Orange settled nearly 90 cases for $100 million; the Archdiocese of Portland Oregon agreed to a $75 million settlement involving 177 claimants; the Archdiocese of Seattle agreed to a $48 million settlement that included 160 victims; the Archdiocese of Los Angles reached a $660 million agreement with over 500 victims; the Diocese of San Diego reached a $198.1 million agreement with 144 victims; and the Archdiocese of Denver agreed to pay $5.5 million to settle 18 claims.  The above cases are only a fraction of the cases that have been brought against the church.  Several Catholic dioceses have been forced to declare bankruptcy due to sex abuse cases.  It is a problem that has a multitude of ramifications for the individual victims, the perpetrators, the church, and society, and must continue to be addressed.

Whether one is a practicing Catholic, a nominal believer, or an observer, the extent of this problem must raise concern.  What I have included is not meant to undermine the good that has been and continues to be the hallmark of the church.  What has been included is irrefutable and steeped in facts over years of neglect to act.  It will be interesting to observe what occurs at the summit on abuse in the church the Pope has called for in February 2019. 

I had no shoes

“I wept because I had no shoes, until I met a man who had no feet”.  The message of this ancient Chinese proverb is that we should be grateful for what we have because there is always going to be someone in worse shape.  It is ever so easy to complain about the trivial things in life; i.e., the lack of service in a restaurant, the length of time of a red light, the inordinate number of commercials on television, and on-and on.  We can also be guilty of being impatient about matters that have no meaningful impact on the moment or the future.  In the larger landscape of life, much of what we complain about and what we are impatient over pales in comparison to what others are experiencing or have experienced. 

As we reflect on the catastrophic, life-altering events of the past few months we must give pause and be grateful for being spared.  Those living in the Panhandle area of Florida continue to be without a home, a job or the basics of life.  They continue to be refugees living in other cities away from the devastation that changed their lives.  This past week I was in southern Alabama and looking for a motel/hotel room.  I stopped at five different places only to be told they were full and had no rooms.  I finally asked what was going on and was told that many of the rooms were occupied by those displaced from Hurricane Michel.  How long will their displacement be and what do they do about going back to what was once home?  Mexico Beach was obliterated from the map by the hurricane, so where do you start in the rebuilding process?  Life for these victims will never be the same.  They will be required to adjust to a much different life than they knew prior to the hurricane.

The fires in California have also obliterated complete communities such as Paradise, California.  There have been countless incidents of individuals seeking to save their property and then fleeing at the last moment.  As of this writing, 66 have lost their lives and another 600 are unaccounted for amongst the smoldering ruins of lives forever changed.  The walls of fire, which were magnified by the Santa Anna winds, made no distinction as to race, income level, gender, or age among those who perished.  It has been reported that the fires raged at speeds equivalent to a hurricane.  How does one escape such fury?  Where do you escape to?  There was the reported incident of a father driving a car with his 3-year-old daughter and convincing her that they would get through the walls of fire on either side of the car.  Yes, they did survive, but many did not.

Think of those who have walked from Central American to the border of Mexico and America hoping to gain political asylum.  Many have gotten ill and dropped out of the group escaping the brutality of gangs in their homelands.  Consider the more than 14,000 children from countries south of the American border who are living in tents and federal detention centers.  What is their fate?  How will they survive the absence of a nurturing mother?  How will their isolation impact their physical and emotional development?  Indeed, those in the caravan and those isolated children are additional examples of catastrophic occurrences in the recent past.

As we think of the significance of this week and the familial importance of Thanksgiving, do reflect on those less fortunate and be grateful for what you have.  Think of those displaced by Hurricane Michael or the California fires.  Think of those poor souls who have marched thousands of miles to seek a measure of freedom and think of those children who languish in tent cities and detention cents.  Give thanks for the life you have and remember there are always those who are in worse shape and live in worse conditions.    

Words can foster violence

The tragedies that occurred in 1968 was the focus of a recent editorial in The Tuscaloosa News.  As many of us can recall the decade of the 60’s was a tumultuous time.  For some, the election of the first Roman Catholic president presented cause for concern, which I might add, was never manifested. In 1962 we lived through the drama that unfolded in Dallas after the president was shot and subsequently died.  Glued to televisions throughout the country people watched as the police cornered Lee Harvey Oswald in a theater and then the following morning watched as he was murdered by Jack Ruby.   In the 60s we also lived through the numerous demonstrations and marches promoting the civil rights of all citizens.  Headlines reported the murders of innocent people in Alabama and Mississippi.  Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. became a catalyst for change and was a critical individual who quelled the instinct to retaliate by those subjected to senseless criminal activity.  As we know, Dr. King was murdered in Memphis as a led a march of sanitation workers.  Robert Kennedy took up the mantle of his assassinated brother and was in the midst of campaigning for the Democratic presidential nomination when he was struck down in a hotel kitchen in Los Angles.  Freedom Riders were murdered in Alabama and individuals working to register voters in Mississippi were killed.  The Ku Klux Klan was responsible for much of the criminal activity directed toward blacks and reached the height of its influence during these very challenging times.

During this trying decade, George Wallace rose to prominence throughout the south.  His fiery rhetoric ignited the flames of those threatened by the recently passed Civil Rights Act (1964).  After he lost his first attempt to become the Governor of Alabama, he is to have said, “I’ll never be out-segregationist again”.  He went on to repeat throughout campaigns and after becoming the governor of Alabama, “segregation now and segregation forever”.   The words and actions of those in power in the south created an era of violence and much of this can be attributed to Governor George Wallace.  He was a crafty populist politician who struck the chords of fear in many southern folks, but also had a measure of popularity elsewhere in the country.  Words expressed by those in powerful positions can and do incite violence.  Some would argue that the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham and the death of four young girls was the result of the ongoing barrage of speeches and comments by individuals such as Governor Wallace.

The 1960s also was the decade of the increasing involvement of the United States in the conflict in Viet Nam.  The rationale used to justify the involvement has proven faulty, but not until thousands of men and women were killed and countless others ravished by the effects of “the war”.  Our involvement was never supported by many people in the country and this was evident when veterans returned home.  There were no parades and organized activities that showered praise on those who fought for their country.  It was a war that was not winnable and, ultimately, we withdrew our involvement.  The war did incite several demonstrations and marches.  The angst that many experienced   culminated at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.  Numerous individuals were arrested, and the police were guilty of brutal treatment of those who were actively involved in the fray. 

It was during the 60s that many of the cities in the country went up in flames.  It started with the riot in the Watts section of Los Angles.  There were also destructive riots in Newark, New York City, Chicago, and East St. Louis, to mention a few of the sites.  The riots seemed to be an outlet for pent-up frustrations experienced by those living in the ghettos of the big cities. 

This brief overview of the 60s has been an attempt to paint a background that is not far removed to the current climate in the United States.  The actions that we have been aware of just in the past few weeks should be reason to pause and reflect on what is going on for the past 18 months or so.  The president can blame the media, but often, the media is simple reporting what he has said or done.  When he praises a candidate for public office for body-slamming a reporter or when he mocks a disabled person or when he bashes the parents of an American soldier of Iranian decent what is the media to do.  Much of the rhetoric of the president comes close to mirroring the words and actions of Governor Wallace and can lead to violence.  Bombing a church in Birmingham, Alabama or sending bombs through the mail are quite similar and it is fortunate the latter were not detonated.  When the president states that all people in the country need to come together and then he undermines his own pleas in the next campaign stop, why are we surprised with the outcomes.  His words are giving license to those living on the fringe of sanity to behave in a manner that becomes violent and directed to those with whom they disagree.  Throughout the campaign and since he has been president, he has acted in a way that has been divisive and has led to a divided country.  Words do matter.  Are the occurrences of 2018 repeating the occurrences of 1968 and the 60s?  The results of the midterm elections may well set the stage for where the country goes from here. 

The hearings

We have just witnessed one of the most partisan events in the country’s history.  As we know, a function of the United States Senate is to offer advice and consent on any judicial nominations put forth by the president.  No doubt, this critical role was included in the Constitution of the country as an attempt to maintain the balance of power between the three arms of the government--executive, legislative, and judicial.  This critical role was not meant to simply rubber-stamp presidential wishes.  Advice and consent should require careful, thoughtful, and thorough inquiry into the lives and actions of the nominees that are brought before the Senate.  What occurred over the past couple of weeks was a sham in carrying out the advise and consent process. 

From the beginning of the confirmation hearings, it was apparent that the Republican leadership was focused on moving to confirmation of the nominee with deliberate speed.  Arbitrary deadlines were announced that, they believed, would fulfill this expectation.  Documents were withheld or made available at the “last minute” to undermine any attempt to carefully, thoughtfully and thoroughly examine and analyze the documents.  It was reported that only 4 percent of the documents related to the nominee were made available.  Once the decision was made to have the FBI investigate the allegations presented by two of the women, the FBI investigation was limited to one week.  It concluded in less than a week.  To carefully, thoughtfully, and thoroughly investigate these allegations would have required a longer period.  The FBI investigation only contributed to the sham that was perpetrated on the American people.  The motivation of the majority was to move the nomination along so that the decision would be reached prior to the mid-term elections.  This mandate by the leadership was achieved.

Throughout the hearings there remained the lingering question of the nominee’s honesty, integrity, and moral character.  Once the accuser appeared before the Judiciary Committee, it came down to the proverbial, “he said, she said”.   Did the nominee engage in sexually assaulting the young woman?  No doubt, we will never know.  Did the nominee tell repeated lies throughout the questioning?  There are several sources who claim that this occurred.  For example, GQ magazine identified 16 statements made by the nominee that were not supported by factual information. Other references included an article in Slate, “Kavanaugh Lied to the Judiciary Committee—Repeatedly” and an article in Nation, “Brett Kavanaugh Has Lied His Way Onto the Supreme Court”.  Were the lies about significant maters or events?  How much beer the nominee drank is not of primary significance, but to lie about it goes to the moral character and honesty of the individual. Did the nominee engage in the “Devil’s Triangle” which is sexual activity between two males and a female or was it a drinking game as he claimed?  Did he participate in “boofing” which is defined as anal sex or ingesting drugs or alcohol in the anus or did it refer to farting as he claimed?  While a student at Yale, did he expose himself to a female student or did this not occur?  Whether he engaged in these activities is not the issue.  The issue is, did he lie about it.  It is not being suggested that the allegations do not have merit, but there are larger issues that flow from dishonesty, lack of integrity and questionable moral character, especially for an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court—this should be the concern of all Americans.  In the Slate article the author concluded by stating the following: “But one thing is certain.  He lied repeatedly to the Judiciary Committee on Thursday.  Some of his lies, about the testimony of witnesses and the integrity of investigations go to the heart of our system of justice.  Any senator who votes to put this man on the Supreme Court is saying that lies don’t matter.”  This past Saturday 50 senators voted for confirmation.  Are they saying that lies don’t matter?       

American resolve

Flags flew at half-mast, bells were rung as the names of the fallen were read, and the nation was brought back to September 11, 2001.  On that day America came under attack, and--as we recall--the World Trade Center was destroyed, the Pentagon sustained heavy damage, and a field in Pennsylvania was marred forever.  Lives were lost in unbelievable numbers.  The composition of families was changed:  sons, daughters, wives, husbands, brothers, and sisters were never to return to their homes.  Children would grow up without a father or a mother, there would be one less brother or sister and mothers and fathers would bury their children.  The day of the attacks, 2,606 people died in the World Trade Center and surrounding areas.  At the Pentagon, 125 individuals lost their lives and 44 went down with the plane in the Pennsylvania field.  Over 6000 were injured on this fateful day.  Subsequently it has been estimated that 1,140 people contracted some form of cancer from exposure to the toxins emitted from the destruction of the towers.  Approximately 1,400 rescue workers have died since the attacks.  The outcome of the attacks continues to have ramifications with those who were involved in or close to the devastation.  Some of the scars are visible while others are not seen, but still have left a lasting impact on the afflicted.

The evening of September 11, President George W. Bush addressed the nation and included in his remarks the following statements: “Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America.  These acts shatter steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve.”  Indeed, the response by the president was a major solidifying factor in bringing all Americans to stand together regardless of political party affiliation, religious orientation, gender, race or ethnicity.  America had been attacked and there was a sense of unity for all to support the administration in its response.  It is most unfortunate that often it is a catastrophe or some disaster that unites the populace to put ideology aside and do what needs to be done.  We have seen this when natural disasters occur such as tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, fires, volcanic eruptions floods, and we saw it after the attacks.  Why must there be major life-altering events to act as a unifying force amongst us? After 9/11, there was a measure of oneness that brought people together. 

As we reflect on the horrific attacks on this day there are memories that are indelibly etched in our psyche.  Even though there was a great deal of pain and suffering, people responded and volunteered to help in any way they could, but we have lost this sense of togetherness in the current climate that pervades our country.  There is a sense of pervasive skepticism in the behavior and actions of members of the current administration.  We have become a society that is marred by diverse and unwavering beliefs that often belie reason and simple common sense.  As we reflect on the current climate, can we foresee a better time—a time when people come together to deal with common issues, needs, and concerns? Will it take another catastrophic event to ignite the flames of a caring and unified society?   p American resolve does rise to the occasion when called upon to do so.  Let us hope that we can move to employ such resolve short of a unifying catastrophe.