Well, that was certainly a pleasant beginning to a Sunday morning at church. Tucked within the bulletin at most Catholic parishes in central Illinois was a one-page letter from Bishop Daniel Jenky, the leader of the 240,000 or so Catholics in the 26-county Peoria Diocese.
It was no ordinary pastoral letter; instead, it was a blistering attack on adults who have sued the diocese with allegations of sexual abuse, their attorneys, the Illinois court system and the media.
It made quite a contrast to the 2005 publication by the U.S. Catholic Conference of Bishops titled, "Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People."
In the preamble of the charter, the bishops wrote: "We continue to have a special care for and a commitment to reaching out to victims of sexual abuse and their families. The damage caused by sexual abuse of minors is devastating and long-lasting. We apologize to them for the grave harm that has been inflicted on them, and we offer our help for the future."
Noting "perilous economic times," Jenky pledged to "work to be a prudent steward of the money you offer for the work of Christ."
He noted that the Peoria Diocese "normally offers counseling to victims rather than paying out large cash settlements" (although some victims say the diocese hasn't even paid for their counseling).
Then came the bishop's offensive: "Attorneys representing some claimants and some 'victims groups' obviously have a significant financial stake in trying to overturn our Diocesan policies. Recent decisions in the Illinois courts may make our legal situation even more difficult in the future."
In an opinion last month, an Illinois appellate court reversed a Peoria court ruling that dismissed lawsuits by alleged abuse victims on the grounds that they had waited too long to claim abuse.
A state law, though, extended the time for filing abuse claims.
The Peoria case is likely to be appealed to the Illinois Supreme Court.
"It should be noted," Jenky continued, "that the sexual abuse of minors cuts across all socioeconomic lines, ethnicities, ministries and religions. It is important to remember that the State basically exempts its own institutions from civil litigation. Amid all the tensions of the nation's culture wars and in the face of the media's intense hatred for our Catholic Faith, I am increasingly concerned that our Church in effect no longer enjoys equal justice under the law. (italics his)"
The bishop is certainly entitled to his opinion, and he may be right to be skeptical of claims of abuse (although he has removed several priests from the ministry), but his belief that there is media hatred for the Catholic Church is off base.
Perhaps he confuses the big, broad media mix of theatrical drama ("Doubt"), legitimate news reporting and public commentary for hatred. It's been stated innumerable times that the Catholic Church is not a democracy.
But the secular world, at least in the United States, is. And sometimes those within the church have trouble seeing the difference. They view the secular world's scrutiny and criticism as hatred.
If Jenky thinks the media hates the Catholic Church, what emotion would he assign to all the coverage and commentary about Rod Blagojevich or Bernard Madoff or Wall Street executives or even New York Yankee Alex Rodriguez?
The coverage of the Catholic Church doesn't come close. Notre Dame football, maybe, but not the church.
From a broader perspective, the bishop may not have done himself any favors with his letter. His verbal attack on possible victims of sexual abuse sounds shrill and insensitive.
Further, he managed to pick a fight with politicians, the courts, lawyers and the media in a single letter.
The bishop was not available for further comment but members of those "victims groups" were. Jeff Jones of Rockford, who said he was a victim of a Peoria Diocese priest from the age of 11 to 17 and is now getting counseling provided by the diocese, said he was taken aback by the bishop's letter.
"He's upset. He's angry," said Jones, a member of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests.
"And he just seems to have lashed out at everyone – the judges, the juries, the lawyers, the reporters. Why he did it is beyond me."
"The sad part is that almost every other diocese has taken a very pastoral approach, trying to do outreach to victims and the like," said attorney Frederic Nessler, who is representing three women and 11 men who have alleged sexual abuse by diocesan priests.
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(Source: TNG)