By Susan Hines-Brigger
Crisis: Clergy Abuse in the Catholic Church Find it on your favorite podcast app
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LEFT AND RIGHT: COURTESY OF THE CATHOLIC PROJECT; MIDDLE: COURTESY ST. JOSEPH’S CHURCH-YORKVILLE
report on McCarrick. It then looks at other events of the year, including the release of the Pennsylvania grand jury report and the controversial remarks by Pope Francis regarding sex-abuse cases in Chile. Many of the episodes contain a disclaimer at the beginning, warning listeners that they will be hearing descriptions of sexual abuse. Make no mistake, this can be tough to listen to. But it is important to hear. The series does a great job of providing a 360-degree look at the crisis, making sure that the listener does not get only one side of the story. Episodes range from the more newsy aspects of the crisis—such as a time line of what happened when and what happens once an allegation is made—to the more personal and investigative scope of the crisis, featuring stories of survivors and topics such as the role of the laity, bishops’ accountability, and others. Anyone with concerns that this is a justification or soft treatment of the abuse crisis need not worry. This podcast is an honest, painful look at this very important topic. And while it is tough to listen to, I would recommend that people take the time to listen. In asking people to share the podcast with family, friends, coworkers, or parishioners, Lozoya says that the first step to ending abuse in the Church is to not be silent about it.
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he introductory episode of the podcast Crisis: Clergy Abuse in the Catholic Church, a series which ran in September 2019, starts off with a chilling recollection by Father Boniface Ramsey of a photo of former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick and a young boy standing together in their swim trunks. It is powerful because Father Ramsey is the one who spoke up about McCarrick’s sexually abusive behavior, which had gone unchecked for so long. (McCarrick has since been laicized for his actions.) After that, host Karna Lozoya, executive director of strategic communications for the Catholic University of America, fills listeners in as to how the podcast came to be and what it would be discussing. She recalls that she started her position just weeks after the report was released about the sexual abuse perpetrated by McCarrick. Lozoya teamed up with The Catholic Project, an initiative of the Catholic University of America, to create the podcast— a 10-part series discussing the sexual abuse crisis in the Catholic Church and its origins, characters, causes, and reforms. During the episodes, she interviews bishops, survivors, reporters, lawyers, social workers, and many more. The first episode recounts the events of 2018, beginning with the issuing of the
Karna Lozoya
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Father Boniface Ramsey
