Thiruvananthapuram: In stark contrast to what is happening to the Indian clergy, the Archbishop of Vancouver has asked his faithful to contact law enforcement authorities as soon as they are aware of any situation of sexual abuse by the clergy.
The statement on “the recent revelations of sexual abuse in the church” issued by Archbishop J Michael Miller said that if the abuse involves a member of the clergy or any person engaged in ministry in the archdiocese, the diocese also may be kept informed through its website on reporting abuses.
“If you know of any sexual abuse that occurred in the past but have not reported it before consider doing so now”, says the archbishop.
The bishop said he was devastated by these accounts of profound evil. “What the victims of sexual abuse have endured has shaken me and broken my heart. I grieve for what they have suffered at the hands of their abusers and by those who betrayed the spiritual fatherhood by failing to protect those entrusted to their pastoral care.
“As a bishop I'm especially upset with those bishops and priests who failed to protect the most vulnerable among us. They did not live up to their calling as shepherds and, even more, as spiritual fathers. What father would come to know that his child has been abused and do nothing about it? What father would cover up the abuse and tell his child ‘to get over it’ in order to protect the family’s reputation? Would that they had acted like Jesus, who showed his anger towards those who defiled the temple!” said the bishop.
He said that in addition to being sexually abused, many victims were treated very poorly by authorities in the church. The failure of the church leaders to prevent the abuse, covering it up by moving abusers around, the lack of care and concern for victims; these were great failures and terribly wrong.
“We are rightfully outraged and discouraged by these actions”, he said, calling on the faithful to join him in doing penance in reparation for the great sins committed within the church. To heal as a community of faith, he urged the faithful to first acknowledge their brokenness before the Lord.
