Church of the Resurrection issued the following announcement on Jan. 22.

My original intention this week here was to offer another example or two about how Catholics can explain our faith to Protestant friends (like the folks who anonymously tagged the cars in the St. Michael’s lot a couple weeks ago) in a language that shows we are indeed a biblical Church. But events elsewhere—namely, Bishop Callahan’s announcement that the Diocese of La Crosse was releasing all the names of clergy with substantiated accusations of sexual abuse—have changed my plans. When the clergy read Bishop Callahan’s letter last week, we were told in no uncertain terms not to editorialize. Now with that behind us, here are a few things on my mind.

I know many of you are tired of the bad news. I know I am. But such is the cost of cleaning the wound in an effort to bring health to the body. The release of names didn’t announce new acts of abuse so much as it gathered together all the substantiated accusations made in the history of the Diocese going back to the mid-19th century. You may remember me telling you this was in the offing when I made available Bishop’s statement on the abuse crisis in October 2018 in the wake of the publishing of the report of the State of Pennsylvania Grand Jury.

The firm of Defenbaugh & Associates, Inc., from Texas, composed of retired FBI agents, served as the independent auditors here. Of the 1,218 clergy files dating back to 1868, twenty-five have been tagged as priest abusers—eighteen priests of our own Diocese, two religious order priests serving here when the crimes took place, and five clergy from other Dioceses who served among us for a time and about whom accusations have been made in their “home” dioceses.  Several of the priests have been jailed for their actions; all but a few of them are dead. I knew several of them. Two of them were pastors in parishes where I served as an associate priest, so it hits close to home.

I suspect the release of names of past clergy abusers will be undertaken in every diocese in time. In the State of Wisconsin, La Crosse is the third diocese to do so, after Milwaukee and Green Bay. It is hoped it will provide victims some sense of justice, and perhaps give strength to others who’ve been offended who haven’t yet had the heart to step forward. The big picture is to provide them healing and peace.

Thoughtful adults “get it” that there are unhealthy and sinful people in authority in every setting—schools and universities, businesses and government, Hollywood and the family, and, yes, churches too. We, of all people, should understand the brokenness inherent in humankind. It’s when leaders protect the institution more than the person that is most disheartening. The Diocese of La Crosse has been putting procedures in place at all of our schools, parishes, and the like for clergy, employees, and volunteers on the matter of safe environment since 2002. I see lots of evidence that it is working.

I would invite you to check out the various materials available on the Protect and Heal portion of the Diocesan website https://diolc.org(click the box in the lower left corner).  If you missed the reading of the Bishop’s address, a video file of him presenting it is available there. It’s all part of the Catholic community’s doing its share of cleaning the great wound of child abuse.

Ft. Mark Pierce

Original source: http://eastsideparishes.org/east/pastors-letter-january-26-2020/