Confronting the Clerical Abuse Scandal
Where can we find God in the midst of the abuse scandal?
By Fr. Anthony Pizzo, O.S.A. Prior Provincial
Plunged once again into the scandal of clerical abuse, we are forced to look upon our woundedness as a Church and to place those wounds on display for the world. The most recent reports from the Attorneys General in several states claim that there are still countless cases of past clerical abuse that have not been addressed adequately. This has led to questioning, hurt, and shame within the Church as the wounded Body of Christ.
We have been facing our wounds and our sins since 2002 when victim’s groups began to demand answers for the patterns of abuse and coverup that had been present within the Catholic Church. The scandal has never truly left the newspapers since then; however, we appeared to achieve some degree of healing in the following years. When many thought we were just starting to work through this crisis, the wounds were opened again—not with new cases per se but with by new reports of the credible cases that were not addressed adequately in the past. The words of the Prophet Jeremiah are echoed in a timely way: "What sorrow awaits the leaders of my people—the shepherds of my sheep—for they have destroyed and scattered the very ones they were expected to care for, says the LORD" (Jer 23,1 - NLT). Among this scattered flock, some have left the church, some have questioned the credibility of Church leadership, and many still cling to the faith and love for the Church. All of us, however, have been faced with the same question: "Where is God in all of this mess?" This is not an easy question to answer because it presumes that God has been leading and guiding the leaders of the Church all along, yet we are confronted with the sad truth that choices and decisions were made by some to protect the institution rather than the person resulting in broken lives and wounded spirits. One fact is clear, our flaws as an institution have never been so exposed, never have we felt more naked and vulnerable before the world. In the post-resurrection stories of the Gospels, we find Jesus appearing to his lamenting and discouraged disciples in a new state
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of being, yet he reveals his wounds. His wounds are important to demonstrate that his suffering and death were not passed over to gain new life but were passed through in order to gain life again. So where is Jesus in this critical time in the Church? The resurrection narratives are clear that He continues in the midst of the confusion, anger, sadness, discouragement, sinfulness and brokenness that touch all of our lives including the moral failures of our pastoral leaders. The risen Lord does not hide His wounds, but He reveals them to the disciples even to the point where He tells Thomas to insert his hands into His wounds to prove that His Body, which is glorified, still reveals the brokenness through pain and suffering. This is not to say that healing is not possible then but rather, healing is possible and essential only when we reveal the truth of who we are, we are broken and hurt and prone to sinfulness, yet we are redeemed through God’s mercy. So, is this crisis the end of the Church? Some would like to think so, but it is another grace-filled opportunity to grow and regenerate into the likeness of Christ whose Body we have become. It is to the benefit of all that we continue this conversation and dialogue so as to accentuate the importance of protecting children and the overall wellbeing of the People of God. The very nature of the mercy of God is to heal. Although we are wounded ourselves, God’s grace and mercy will strengthen our resolve to accompany many who are hurting and yearn for healing as we seek healing for ourselves collectively and personally.