To Fellow Concerned Catholics:
We would like to make you aware of an article in the October 15, 2004 National Catholic Reporter by Jason Berry entitled "The Power of Purifying Memory" regarding the sexual abuse crisis that continues to rock our Church to its foundations. It is available at
www.ncronline.org . This article includes a very disturbing reference to the scope of abuse in the Davenport Diocese and its subsequent handling. It also directs people to the website www.bishopaccountability.org where hundreds of Diocesan documents and court records detail the abuse that occurred and the responses to it by Diocesan officials. These documents are absolutely horrifying! At best, they show incompetence on the part of Diocesan officials and at worst, they suggest long-term disregard for the well-being of abuse victims, their families, offending priests and the entire Diocesan priesthood, parish communities and the whole Church.
We are very grateful that our Diocese has reached a settlement with the survivors of clergy sexual abuse who had sued, though we remain troubled and sorrowful for all they had to go through to reach a settlement they considered to be meaningful.
Our Diocese is in serious trouble and the least of it is financial. Truth-telling is an integral part of healing from sexual abuse – for victims, communities, abusers and those (persons and institutions) who have protected abusers. We need to have full disclosure about what has gone on in order to understand how to best repair the harm that has been done
in our names. We do not believe the Diocese has yet been adequately forthcoming about the extent and nature of the abuse and its own actions in response to it. We believe we need to talk about accountability to one another and about Diocesan and Church leadership issues even more than we talk about financial concerns.
If we truly believe that the Paschal Mystery is the revelation of how God works among us and that it is the way to renewed life, it is time for our Diocese and Church to die to self-interest in a way that we have not yet done. It is up to us to own these terrible problems together as the gathered Body of Christ. Together we must seek forgiveness from God and the grace to extend it to others, to express our sorrow and to make amends meaningful to those who have been victimized – without regard to cost, and to take responsibility for following God's guidance in seeking new life for all – again, no matter the cost, financial or otherwise.
We invite fellow Catholics concerned about these issues to gather with us for prayer, information and dialogue on Wednesday, Nov. 10 at 6:30 p.m. at St. Thomas More Church, 405 N. Riverside Dr. in Iowa City.
Our agenda will include: stories from family members of abuse victims, an overview of issues related to healing from clergy sexual abuse as individuals and communities, background about legal issues, and a consideration of possible next steps along the path toward healing. We hope you’ll join us! For further information contact John or Dorothy Whiston at 319-339-7305 or dwhiston@mchsi.comFrom these Concerned and Committed Catholics of the Davenport Diocese:
Jim & Virginia Allaire, Joni Bosch, Tom & Mary Pat Conway, Rick Ferguson, Lois Geist, David & Mary Hacker,Fr. Wally Helms, Norm & Bonnie Hemenover, Fr. Dave Hitch, Vivian Jacobs, Jean Junis, Fr. Andy Kelly, Mary Kay Kusner, Peggy McKittrick, Lee Mickey, Mike & Bonnie Murphy, Jerry & Mary Nixon, Hal & Theresa Schoen, John and Dorothy Whiston