"Challenging times"by Bishop William S. Skylstad (From the Nov. 14, 2002 edition of the Inland Register)
Victims and their families have truly been harmed. And the many good priests who know that their virtue has to be - and, for the most part is - above reproach, are being tarred by the broad brush of disgrace brought on by the illegal misconduct of a few. Anger on the part of all is understandable. Lives are irrevocably changed because of abuse, often with the inability and/or incapacity for one to return to wholeness. In addition, my predecessor struggled with his own personal demons. Afflicted with an addiction to alcohol, his recently revealed behavior served to further erode a rapidly diminishing sense of trust on the part of many across the diocese. As a Catholic community we are called to compassion for all involved. I have repeatedly expressed my apology to victims and families and pledged assistance through the offering of counseling. I do so again on behalf of the Catholic Church. I pledge to the best of my ability that we will not allow these incidents to happen again. I pledge to all in our Catholic community here in Eastern Washington that priestly ministry, and ministry in general, will occur in an atmosphere of absolute safety for our children, youth and vulnerable adults. We all are called to a sense of reverence and respect for one another, especially in the area of appropriate boundaries as they relate to our sexuality and interpersonal relationships. Although there has been an attempt to blame sexual orientation or celibacy for some of the problems we have been facing, in my judgment those sentiments are misplaced and, at times, even cruel. This is not a time to be in a blaming mode or engage in inflammatory or derogatory rhetoric that seems to justify itself by trampling on the faults and failings of others, however tragic those faults and failings may be. Jesus’ own words in the Gospels caution us directly in this regard, in these times and always. We are responsible for and accountable to one another in our community of faith. That is especially true for those of us in pastoral leadership positions. By the time you read this, I will be at the meeting in Washington, D.C., of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The bishops will be working on what we hope will be the final draft of the “Essential Norms” for handling the sexual abuse question in our nation. We hope that approval will come quickly from the Holy See so every Catholic diocese in our country will be obligated to follow these directives. They are a road map as we move into the future with a sense of hope and renewal which we pray will make us stronger and more genuine as a Catholic community of faith. For ourselves here in the Catholic Diocese of Eastern Washington, I pledge to all of you to follow an organized approach as we deal with our current situation, now and in the future. We plan to conduct a broad consultation process as we refine the policies and procedures we’ve promulgated, to make sure they work in this diocese and that our parishioners fully accept and embrace the guidelines. This process will call us to be who we should be and continue the mission the Lord Jesus has entrusted to us. Failings and sinfulness have always been part of the human existence. The Church is not excluded. We recognize our frailties, but even more importantly we face the future with a sense of doing better, perhaps even much better, than in the past. Each of us is a work in progress; so, too, is the Church. We are sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit, and God’s promise will be fulfilled if we are faithful. This is a time of courage and commitment, of support and affirmation of one another as we move into the future. I am well aware that some are so disenchanted and scandalized that they no longer want to participate or support. Brokenness and need for healing and renewal should never provide an occasion for walking away. Our baptismal commitment calls us to fidelity to God and a community of faith – in community, as in marriage, “for better and for worse.”
Finally, as we approach our national holiday of Thanksgiving, I want to express my profound gratitude to all of you. I thank you for your prayers. I thank those who have had to courage to come forward to share their lives of hurt and shame. I thank you for your commitment and dedication to the Church, even when times can be difficult. We all need to thank God for how richly we have been blessed as a Church, a nation, as residents here in the Inland Northwest. May you and your families have a happy and blessed Thanksgiving.
Bishop Skylstad’s Schedule
Nov. 8-14: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops meeting, Washington, D.C.
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These days are not easy for all of us in the Catholic community in Eastern Washington. Although most of the incidences occurred years ago, the sexual abuse scandal leaves all of us embarrassed, sad and frustrated. And the grief and pain from these past breaches of faith and trust are very present today, not just with the victims and their families, but with all of us who placed faith and trust in the Church and its clergy.