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Aaron Lealess, Beckett Personal Injury Lawyers - December 12, 2024 Clergy sexual abuse is a grave and deeply troubling issue that has impacted countless individuals and communities worldwide. The abuse of power and trust by religious leaders has left scars that are not easily healed. In the wake of these crimes, both the victims and society as a whole must grapple with the consequences of such profound violations. Addressing the impact of clergy sexual abuse requires not only acknowledging the pain it has caused but also taking actionable steps toward accountability, justice, and healing for all involved. The Lasting Trauma of Clergy Sexual Abuse The emotional, psychological, and spiritual trauma caused by clergy sexual abuse is profound. Many survivors experience a range of effects, including anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and a loss of faith. The abuse often undermines an individual’s sense of safety and trust, and when the abuser is a person in a position of religious authority, it can also lead to spiritual disillusionment. For many survivors, the abuse occurs within an environment of silence and secrecy, where the church or religious institution may have actively shielded the abuser from accountability. This complicates the healing process, as victims may feel invalidated or isolated, unsure of where to turn for support. The damage done can extend beyond the individual, affecting families, communities, and the broader faith tradition itself. The Importance of Accountability and Justice One of the most important steps in addressing the impact of clergy sexual abuse is ensuring accountability. Church leaders, institutions, and society must recognize that sexual abuse is never acceptable, regardless of the perpetrator’s position within the church hierarchy. This includes: Transparency and Investigation: Religious institutions must be open about allegations and investigations, ensuring that those who are responsible for abuse face legal and ecclesiastical consequences. A refusal to act or silence around such abuse only perpetuates the trauma. Support for Survivors: Survivors of clergy sexual abuse must receive the care, recognition, and resources they need to heal. This includes legal support, access to counseling, and a safe space for survivors to share their stories without fear of retribution or disbelief. Policy Changes: Religious institutions need to establish and enforce stringent protocols to prevent abuse, ensuring that leaders are properly vetted and trained to maintain safe environments. This should include creating clear channels for reporting abuse, as well as enforcing zero-tolerance policies. Legal and Financial Responsibility: Faith-based institutions must be held legally accountable for failing to protect vulnerable individuals from abuse. This may include criminal charges, civil lawsuits, or other legal actions. The financial resources of the institution can be used to fund survivors’ compensation programs, therapy, and other necessary support services. A Commitment to Restorative Justice While criminal and legal measures are crucial, restorative justice offers a complementary approach. Restorative justice is a process in which offenders are held accountable for their actions while offering victims a chance to heal and restore their dignity. In the context of clergy sexual abuse, restorative justice can help: Acknowledge the Harm Done: Survivors often feel as though their pain has been minimized or ignored. Restorative justice allows them to voice their experiences and receive the recognition they deserve. Provide a Path to Healing: Instead of focusing solely on punishment, restorative justice allows for healing and dialogue between the survivor and the community, promoting understanding and reconciliation. Prevent Future Abuse: By focusing on accountability and communal responsibility, restorative justice can help prevent future abuse by transforming the practices within faith communities Moving Forward: Healing and Renewal Addressing the impact of clergy sexual abuse is a long and challenging journey, but it is essential for the health and integrity of religious communities and society at large. In the aftermath of abuse, it is crucial for survivors to be empowered to reclaim their lives and their faith, should they choose to do so. This requires empathy, consistent support, and a genuine commitment to change. As we move forward, it is important to remember that addressing clergy sexual abuse requires collective action, a commitment to justice, and a deep respect for those whose lives have been forever altered. Only through a shared commitment to accountability, compassion, and transformation can we create a future where abuse of any kind is not tolerated. A good resource is Outrage Canada, which is a non-religious coalition of outraged Canadians that holds the Roman Catholic church of Canada accountable for ongoing crimes and advocates for all victims of Catholic clergy. They are committed to ensuring justice for victims, the safety of all children and the prevention of abuse by the Roman Catholic church. If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted by a member of the clergy, reach out to an experienced personal injury lawyer.
Montana Democrats want to require priests to report confessions of child abuse Jan. 27, 2025 From: The Friendly Atheist Seven Democratic lawmakers in Montana have filed a bill that would require clergy members to report child abuse to law enforcement authorities if they happen to learn about it through the act of confession. As it stands, if someone walks into a confessional booth and admits to molesting a child, the priest doesn’t have to do anything with that information. Just say a couple of Hail Marys and be done with it. Compare that to doctors, social workers, or public school teachers, who are required by law to file a report if they learn about, or suspect, a child being abused. Why won’t religious leaders agree to report suspected abusers? In the Catholic Church, Vatican officials have long claimed that the “ seal of confession ” is sacrosanct. Anything said in a confessional booth must be kept secret no matter what. If there’s any potential that the “clergy-penitent privilege” might be broken—and that certain confessions may be used as evidence against the confessor—it could destroy the very nature of the sacrament.
President Irene Deschênes wrote to Cardinal Leo, Archbishop of Toronto requesting mandatory reporting of sexual abuse expressed in the confessional: On January 6, 2025 Outrage Canada President Irene Deschênes sent a letter on behalf of the Outrage Canada Board to Cardinal Frank Leo, Archbishop of Toronto requesting that he assure the Board in writing, that Canon Law within your Archdiocese yields to and observes the mandatory reporting requirement of child abuse as noted under Ontario law, specifically section 125 of the Child, Youth and Family Services Act, 2017, S.O. 2017, c.14, Sched. Here is an excerpt from her letter: We write today, seeking your leadership, wisdom and compassion concerning the safety and well-being of Canadian children, in particular those of your archdiocese. Outrage Canada is a national, non-religious coalition of outraged Canadians, committed to ensuring justice for victims, the safety of all children and the prevention of abuse by the Roman Catholic church. You can learn more about us at www.outragecanada.ca . An issue which has arisen is the intersection of Canon Law and the secular law of the land (civil law). We understand that Canon 22 of the Code of Canon Law states: “Civil laws to which the law of the Church yields are to be observed in canon law with the same effects, insofar as they are not contrary to divine law and unless canon law provides otherwise.” Could you please confirm, and assure us in writing, that Canon Law within your Archdiocese yields to and observes the mandatory reporting requirement of child abuse as noted under Ontario law, specifically section 125 of the Child, Youth and Family Services Act, 2017, S.O. 2017, c.14, Sched1? As you know, this mandatory reporting requirement does NOT exempt communications under the seal of the confessional. When someone discloses child abuse it is a precious moment for intervention. Such intervention can prevent further abuse, aid healing and in fact save lives, as some victims resort to suicide as an escape. For you, as a steward and shepherd of the church, intervention is even more important, given the canonical penalties imposed upon clerics who are found guilty of sexual crimes against children. The broader harm done to the Catholic community when these tragic events come to light cannot be understated. We believe that you are of the same mind as Outrage Canada on this urgent issue, and so we look forward to your assurances that credible accusations, or even suspicions of child abuse, are promptly reported to the secular authorities in your jurisdiction as civil law mandates, including those received within the confessional.
I don’t know whether I’ll ever fully recover from what church did to me - made even more troublesome given the role of my family in church - but I do know that better is one day out here than a thousand days inside. I had roughly 13,505 days inside. I’ve clocked up about 1,460 days outside. And I can smile.
Hang in there religiously traumatized friends. Help is on the way. The psych system is starting to understand us. Scandal after scandal breaks for big church as Lady Justice begins her slow, deliberate march toward the steeple. And we got out.
A request from Melanie Sakoda, SNAP Survivor Support Director: Parents in Barrie, Ontario, Canada, are concerned that Father Neil Pereira has been returned to ministry in their Catholic school district. The priest was arrested on July 26, 2023, and charged with sexual assault and two counts of sexual interference involving a a child. The charges were later withdrawn. If you agree that Fr. Pereira should not be working in schools, please sign and circulate the parents' petition .
A Reflection by Richard Thain, DDS, OC Board Member, October 29, 2024 Seminary: Residential School: Elitist, you are superior You are inferior Build you up You are worthless Strengthen your Catholic culture Destroy your Indigenous culture Better than society Second-class citizen Above the law You must obey
I was a child, just a kid Sent away at 13 From the city I lived To the city of Edmonton Far away from family home Widowed mother, father dead Entrusted into care Of holy men in holy robe To guard me from evil Guide me closer to God To lead me as I grow I was a child, just a kid Sent away at 13 From the city I lived To the city of Edmonton Far away from family home Widowed mother, father dead Entrusted into care Of holy men in holy robe To guard me from evil Guide me closer to God To lead me as I grow In a residential school Supposed to help boys Grow into good men We were students of God Led by men of the cloth Who suffered abuses within No place to run Nowhere to hide No one to tell A secret, I kept Now deep inside Betrayed by those Who were trusted most Beyond suspicion Above reproach The damage done Faith shattered & broke No longer a believer In heavens or Gods Fire or brimstone All innocence lost Stolen from me From a Brother of trust A wolf in sheep's clothing In his moment of lust Lust for a child Unimaginable thoughts Hands set upon me By a man of the cloth Crushed by the image Of the boy that I was Stripped naked, alone By a man I should trust Never the same Damaged within Lost all respect For a man who would sin Who took the innocence Away from a child Separated from heaven By a million and one miles A distant place To travel from Carried through decades Of the things that were done To boys like me Who were frozen in time By men of the cloth Who committed they're crime Unable to speak Unable to tell By the boys like me Still tortured inside By men like them... Demons from hell A lifetime of struggle A lifetime of pain Of being sexually abused We've carried that shame A shame set upon us With measures of guilt Self abuse through addictions From the pain that we felt With nowhere to run And nowhere to hide Boys who were abused Become broken men Tormented spirit inside Wrestling with heartache Trying to speak and be heard Breaking down barriers Still haunted by memories Wanting truth, our last word About men of the cloth Who hid from they're sins Inside institutions Of religion & god Hypocrites of faith... Behind an illusion Still keeping they're secrets within For decades protected By the followers of gods At the expense of the children Who's innocence was lost Who no one believed When they cried to be heard About abuse never spoken In the world of the church A world now distant From what I knew then To the world I know now About the men who would sin The man I became Is the boy left behind With his innocence lost Now frozen in time No more faith in religion Father, son, holy ghost Or the men of the cloth Who betrayed us the most Stealing away innocence With the things that they did Sexually abusing us... When we were just kids Written by David Robin Gordon September 8th, 2024 Final Revision for Print September 16th, 2024 Vancouver, BC Canada
