If clerical abuse victims are to recover, the Vatican must heed this five-point plan.THE POPE has apologised to victims of clergy sexual abuse in face-to-face meetings in Washington DC, Malta, and Australia, and in speeches in a number of places, including at a rally for priests recently in St Peter’s Square.
While apologies are all well and good, the pope must now develop an action plan to meet the recovery needs of victims.
When my priest colleague Fr Ken Lasch and I realised in 2003 that little or nothing was being done to meet the diverse needs of victims of clergy sexual abuse, we embarked on the establishment of Road to Recovery, Inc.
It is a New Jersey-based charity that offers assistance of all sorts to help victims of clergy sexual abuse survive and recover. Road to Recovery helps victims pay their rents, mortgages, utility and other bills, and allocates funds for medicine, food and clothing, and a host of other needs that victims of clergy sexual abuse have.
Now that Pope Benedict has apologised profusely on a number of occasions, we at Road to Recovery would like him to consider the following five-point proposal that would go far in helping those who have survived clergy sexual abuse.
What is proposed below is an all-out assault on shame, guilt, depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, low self-esteem, and all other effects of clergy sexual abuse. And Fr Ken and I offer our experience and expertise to the pope as he implements these steps, for we have worked with more than 1,000 victims and their families during the past seven years.
We propose that Pope Benedict and the Vatican:
1) Hold a media event at which Pope Benedict calls forth from silence and shame any and all victims of clergy sexual abuse with the blanket assurance that they will be taken care of;
2) Refer all victims to panels of independent lay Catholics and non-Catholics who can properly assess the damage to and needs of the survivors. In addition, victims’ family members will be assessed for damage as well – clergy sexual abuse affects entire families;
3) Establish in every diocese and/or region of the world Centres for Restorative Healing. These centres will be comprehensive in-patient and out-patient medical and social service facilities, meeting the needs of survivors in the areas of housing, medicine, psychological counselling, food and clothing, education, career counselling, and whatever else the victims need;
4) All facilities will be paid for by the Roman Catholic Church and will remain open and operational until every last victim is restored to health. Victims will never be turned away from or denied services for as long as they live;
5) Use the resources and experience of Road to Recovery of the US to advise the Vatican in the establishment of a comprehensive programme of healing for victims. Victims of clergy sexual abuse live in terror, turmoil, and torment every day of their lives.
In most cases their souls were murdered by men and women who represented God.
It is time the church placed these individuals and their families at the top of the list of priorities. No longer should a survivor have to worry about where his or her next meal will come from, how the household bills will be paid, how to fend off the latest panic or anxiety attack, or how to cope with nightmares and depression.
There will always be time for apologies but apologies are just words.
The Vatican can demonstrate its apology by getting to work and giving victims what they need to heal.
The time for healing is now.
Fr Robert M Hoatson, PhD, is co-founder and president of Road to Recovery, Inc, a non-profit charity serving clergy abuse survivors. It is based in West Orange, New Jersey. He is at rmhoatson1@msn.com. The website is: road-to-recovery.org
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