Column
by
Archbishop John G. Vlazny
|
Archbishop's
Column by Archbishop John G. Vlazny |
Ember Day calls us to pray for healing
of church, victims
9/24/04
With the arrival of fall this week, it’s
time to prepare for our next Archdiocesan
Ember Day, Wednesday, Oct. 6. Once again,
I invite all the Catholic people of
western Oregon to observe this day with
prayer and fasting. Our intention remains
the same as previous Ember Days: the healing
of victims of child sexual abuse by
our clergy and their reconciliation with
the church. Given the added complications
of the bankruptcy of the archdiocese at
this time, I would also ask you to pray for
our archdiocesan church so that we will
be able to be faithful to our evangelizing
mission while we must deal with the consequences
of the crimes and penalties.
This time I plan to observe the Ember Day
in our Southern Vicariate. I shall offer a
Mass of healing and reconciliation at
7 p.m. in Sacred Heart Church, Medford. I am hopeful that many other parishes
will host similar Eucharistic celebrations
or prayer services on that day. Fasting does not necessarily have to be
limited to the food we consume. For some
it might be more practical to fast from alcohol or entertainment or other
recreational activities. Quiet time for
spiritual reading and reflection will allow us to bond more closely with
those
who are particularly aggrieved by the
sins of our brothers.
From Oct. 11 through 15, our archdiocese
will once again be audited concerning its compliance with the American
bishops’ Charter for the Protection of
Children and Young People and the Essential Norms for Dioceses Dealing
with
Allegations of Sexual Abuse of Minors
by Priests or Deacons. Here in the archdiocese we take seriously the
Charter’s call to promote healing and
reconciliation with victims and survivors of sexual abuse of minors, to
guarantee an effective response to allegations
of sexual abuse of minors, to insure the accountability of our
procedures and to protect the faithful
in the future.
During last year’s audit the archdiocese
was found to be in full compliance. Even though the demands of litigation
and subsequent bankruptcy proceedings
have consumed much of the time and energy of those who serve you here
at the Archdiocesan Pastoral Center, we
are still making every effort to cooperate with the audit and to be faithful
to
the demands of the Charter. You may recall
that the National Review Board arranged for these audits in order to help
dioceses evaluate their implementation
and compliance with the aforementioned charter.
The decision to file for bankruptcy protection
this past summer resulted from the unrelenting demands of an
unusually high number of victims who have
come forward here in this archdiocese. These people have been deeply
hurt and they have found a forum in litigation
whereby they are seeking justice and personal healing. As most of you
now know, the demands of justice vary
from state to state. They are very costly here in Oregon because of our
laws
concerning statutes of limitations and
the decision of our government to allow punitive damages against a church
which is treated much like a for-profit
business.
One person wrote to me this summer and
said that he is ashamed to be identified with the Archdiocese of Portland
because it had been the only church to
file for bankruptcy protection. Frankly, none of us in the service of this
local
church feels very good about the situation.
This has been humiliating and embarrassing. It is costly and
time-consuming. It does not yet seem to
promote healing but hopefully it will allow for a more just resolution
for all
those who have been violated as minors
by the sexually abusive behavior of a priest.
The bankruptcy proceedings will undoubtedly
tax the patience of many of you. It is a process which is intended to
satisfy in a reasonable way all creditors
who identify themselves and at the same time to allow the debtor, in this
case, the Archdiocese of Portland, to
carry on its work both during the bankruptcy proceedings and thereafter.
You need to know that I don’t claim any
particular expertise in dealing with such matters. But I am blessed with
an
excellent staff, fine lawyers and faithful
consultants. So many of you have expressed your support but others have
shared their frustrations. Many folks
have thanked me for the communications that have come out of my office
regarding these matters. Others have criticized
our efforts as meager and inadequate. Everyone wants to speak with
me and interrogate me about these bankruptcy
issues and related matters. Yet the other responsibilities which are
normally those of a bishop have not diminished.
At a meeting with the creditors there was
considerable suspicion about our reasons for filing for bankruptcy
protection. Letters from people outside
of Oregon have been similarly skeptical. So many people seem to believe
that the assets of the Church are limitless
and that any expression of our desire to safeguard our own evangelizing
mission is purely self-serving and merits
little consideration. In the eyes of many, the Catholic Church of western
Oregon operates under a cloud of suspicion
and
the archbishop’s office is particularly suspicious!
Some of our own people forget that they
are the ones being sued. People often say to me, “I’m praying for you.”
I
usually respond, “I’m praying for you
too!” My purpose is to remind them that this is not simply my problem.
It is our
problem. I readily accept my responsibilities
in dealing with these matters on your behalf, and you need to know that
those of us who serve you are doing all
we can to assist victims as reasonably and fairly as we can and also to
be
faithful to our mission as a Church.
For the most part, the archdiocese has
resumed normal operations. Our bills and our employees are being paid.
Our
fiscal office has been facing extraordinary
demands in making sure that the judge, the trustees and the creditor’s
committee are aware of our expenditures
and are also informed about the on-going activities of our churches and
institutions. Some major building projects
of parishes have been put on hold. We are still hopeful that the judge
and
the creditors will allow those to
move forward in due time.
It remains our sincere desire to find the
resources needed to satisfy the demands of our creditors. An important
step which must take place in the near
future is an invitation to all others who believe they have a claim against
the
archdiocese to come forward so that they
can be included in the settlement achieved with the help of the bankruptcy
court. How to do this fairly and how to
bring some closure to all of this is a process presently under consideration.
The debate about available archdiocesan
assets is likewise critical. Catholics here keep reminding me that the
parishes, schools and institutions
don’t belong to the archdiocese. I know it. But creditors don’t concur.
As we observe this coming Ember Day, we
clearly do need to fast and to pray. I am reasonably sure that we will
not
have much clarity about all these matters
for a long time. But I do know that if we place our trust in the Lord,
all will
be well. It may not be as we would want
it to be, but, through our steadfast faith and God’s gracious providence,
the
Church of the future will be healthier
and stronger and holier.