A decade ago, the Boston clergy sexual abuse crisis engulfed the archdiocese, ultimately drawing global attention to a once-hidden scourge that has destroyed the innocence of minors, shattered families, severely damaged the credibility of Church leaders everywhere and led to an estimated $1.5 billion in settlements to American survivors.
Cardinal Seán Patrick O’Malley was named archbishop of Boston in 2003. He replaced Cardinal Bernard Law, who resigned after the 2002 publication of archdiocesan personnel files revealed that clergy with credible allegations of child sexual abuse were reassigned to new parishes, rather than removed from ministry, and that parishioners were not warned about their history.
In the second part of his two-part interview with Register senior editor Joan Frawley Desmond, Cardinal O’Malley discusses why the Vatican has chosen him to address clergy sexual abuse in four separate scandals, his approach to financial settlements for victims, and the admission of candidates with same-sex attraction to the seminary.
You were chosen to address a succession of clergy sexual abuse scandals — Fall River, Mass., West Palm Beach, Fla., Boston, and then Ireland. Aren’t there other bishops available and trustworthy for this kind of mission?
Well, the Church needed to find someone who had credibility and was capable of dealing with [the issue], as I had already dealt with it in Fall River.
It may also help being a religious. They wanted a different approach, and there aren’t many religious bishops. When I came here, I said that St. Francis’ mission was to rebuild the Church, and that is what we needed to do in Boston.
We are to be available for wherever we are needed. Certainly, it’s not an ordinary thing for a Franciscan to have these positions of responsibility. On the other hand, when we were in the seminary, our German Capuchin professors would tell us that the “Capuchins are the Marines of the Church. We are asked to go to the most difficult, challenging assignments.”
At a meeting of Capuchins in September 2011, it was edifying to realize that many of them were in difficult ministries. Two had been murdered since the previous meeting in 2000.
You arrived in Fall River in 1992, and you quickly discovered a number of irrefutable truths: Pedophiles can’t be “cured” and ignoring or transferring predators only creates more victims and increases financial settlements. Without national policies in place, what did you do?
When I got to Fall River, I realized that the first thing we had to do was establish some policies. We had town meetings. I put the proposed guidelines in the diocesan paper for people to react to and contribute to. I developed a lay review board and used it extensively. … It made for a very good process. … For us, at that time, it worked.
I found a good lawyer. And when I came to Boston, one of my first acts as archbishop was to hire that lawyer, Tom Hannigan. He had a bigger view, a pastoral view: that the Church needed to bring about healing. It wasn’t about shutting people up or doing it cheaply. He had a sense of justice and passion and was very aware of what the Church’s pastoral role with these people [should be].
Many of the victims were from devout families. The offense put them in harm’s way, but there was a greater betrayal: an assault on their faith, an undermining of their relationship with God.
A fellow Capuchin, Archbishop Charles Chaput, was challenged during a recent press conference about his fight against lifting the statute of limitations on Catholic abuse cases in Colorado. Archbishop Chaput defended his action, saying he was the steward of the people’s resources. He said that unless the statute of limitations was lifted across the board it was unjust to single out the Church. How do you approach the issue of settlements for victims?
Unfortunately, the American way [of redressing these wrongs] is through litigation and monetary settlements. It’s when people feel they are being taken seriously and feel believed. I think it’s part of the healing process.
Obviously, the settlements need to be commensurate with the [local] Church’s ability to give money. [In Boston] we were able to pay for a lot of the settlements by selling the bishop’s residence for $105 million.
Here our financial problems were the result of the scandal, not because of the settlements. People stopped contributing, and the annual appeal went from $17 million to $8 million. This year, the numbers are up to $14 million-$15 million.
A bishop has to be concerned about the patrimony. In Massachusetts there is a statute that caps the maximum amount of damages against a charitable organization at $20,000. Not many states have that; it is a just system. It is the people’s money; the poor and others are affected by that.
We made a strategic decision to make a global settlement. Tom Hannigan came up with the idea that the Church would put up a certain amount of money and then judges and arbitrators would look at the cases and make a distribution.
That removed us from the process of how the money was distributed. It allowed us to settle many cases at once. It also allowed us to provide the pastoral care for nine years. Costs for pastoral care are about $2 million a year.
Archdiocesan finances are segregated, with the annual fund and parish contributions separated from the funds used for clergy abuse victims and other related needs. Our website spells that out.
The first John Jay Report, “The Nature and Scope of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Catholic Priests and Deacons in the United States 1950-2002,” noted that 81% of the victims were post-pubescent boys and that same-sex attraction was a likely factor in the crisis. But the second report, issued in 2011, “The Causes and Context of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Catholic Priests,” disputed that judgment. In 2005, the Vatican issued guidelines
stating that candidates with an established homosexual orientation should not enter the seminary. How have you addressed this issue in Boston?
We have instructions from the Holy See. Although they are not as specific as I would like to see, we try to follow them.
Many of us were puzzled by the John Jay interpretations. In fact, I wish they had not been so speculative, in either of the reports, trying to interpret the findings. Just tell the findings.
The most important fact completely obscured is that the incidence of [clergy sexual abuse] fell off dramatically as the Church responded appropriately. That should be a great consolation for American Catholics and encourage other organizations not to be complacent. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
And the second report’s interpretation of [the data regarding] homosexuality was very puzzling.
From my observation, the real predatory pedophiles crossed over to boys and girls. But most of these cases were not pedophilia, but teenagers. To say it wasn’t homosexual … is very speculative.
This year you posted an online archdiocesan database with the names of all archdiocesan clergy with credible allegations of abuse. The list did not include clergy from religious orders, and they have not independently posted their own online database. Will you do anything to encourage religious orders to follow your example?
They were the ones who investigated these cases; we did not. That’s one reason why we didn’t want to [post the names]. My hope is that we’ll be able to have more conversations with them. I don’t think it would be necessary to involve the Holy See in this. The names are out there anyway.
False accusations have reached a new level of complexity regarding concerns about boundary violations. Meanwhile, I’ve heard of accused priests waiting over a decade to appeal their cases before the tribunal.
Each case would be different. Sometimes there are so many boundary violations and so much irresponsibility on the part of the minister there is great hesitation to put that kind of person back in ministry; because they don’t have any realization or willingness to curb their behavior that may be a source of alarm to parents.
When I came there were over 1,000 lawsuits filed against me from victims, as the acting archbishop. There have been so many cases to expedite. They are beginning to move faster.
We are trying to expedite these cases. In 2004, I sent Msgr. Robert P. Deeley, JCD — now our vicar general and moderator of the Curia — to Rome to work at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to help with the process.
We have tried to beef up our own staff here. Sometimes delays are caused by the Holy See; sometimes here.
You have struggled with this crisis for almost two decades. During this extended spiritual and logistic battle, how have you held on to your faith, your sense of hope? How do you stay mindful of the Holy Spirit?
My religious life, my religious community and my family have helped me make sure there is time and space for God.
I find great joy saying Mass in a prison; to ordain; to confirm; to do things with young people. We took 500 kids to World Youth Day. It’s a reminder that there are good things happening in the Church.
It’s not all gloom and doom. The joy of discipleship is still there.
Register senior editor Joan Frawley Desmond writes from Chevy Chase, Maryland.
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Thank you. This is very encouraging.
“The offense put them in harm’s way, but there was a greater betrayal: an assault on their faith, an undermining of their relationship with God.”
Being violently raped, in a church, by a priest, at age ten, harmed me MUCH more than did the impact on my faith. I was betrayed by the men who run the church; I was not betrayed by religion. O’Malley’s comments indicates that he still doesn’t get it, that he is more focused on his faith and his church than he is the actual experience of the victims.
@Christine Hickey
I ask this: What can Cardinal O’Malley do, what could he have done to right an un-rightable wrong done to you and to others? He is a spiritual father and is, of course, concerned with the spiritual wellbeing of the victims, as well as their physical, emotional, and psychological wellbeing. He cannot fix the latter three, only prevent these crimes from occurring in the first place. He is therefore offering the only care he can give.
You are very resilient to have never been shaken in your faith in God or in the Church after being victimized as you were. You have my sincere admiration.
I urge readers to check out these two blogs that discuss the concerns of orthodox Catholics within the Archdiocse of Boston:
http://bryanhehirexposed.wordpress.com
http://bostoncatholicinsider.wordpress.com/
This comment that because they were young teens it wasnt’ pedophilia is OUTRAGEOUS!!! We are going to allow the grooming and wait until a certain very YOUNG age and it isn’t as offensive or sinful or disgusting? Young men at a most vulnerable time looking to a father figure and being led into perversion is not the same level of disgraceful conduct as preying on a younger child? Sorry. The Church is lying to itself on this. It is disgusting. God help us. And the Church IS still covering up for the misconduct of its priests. Also, unless we deny all common sense it is apparent that some newly ordained priests seen on the altar snickering at their older concelebrants, and acting otherwise very immaturely or rebelliously are not the holy priesthood the Archdiocese is called to gather. It all smells. God have mercy!
Unfortunately, poeple get molested all the time—by parents, neightbors, uncles, teachers, coaches, babysitters and, unfortunately, priest. So what is everyone to do? Hate all parents? hate all teachers? hate all priests?
There is good and bad in everything. Things happen for a reason. In America, people seem to have traded going to church on sunday for staying home to watch football? guess what happened? a sex abuse scandal at Penn State where football thrives!
It is sad and sickening when I hear people take advantage of children sexually. But you can’t place the blame on the church, religion or a college for that matter….The blame has to fall on the predators and the ones that know what is going on and don’t do anything to stop a child from being molested.
@Pam
Words have meanings and the appropriate words must be used for the appropriate things. No one denies that it is wicked and disgusting for an older person to prey on a younger. The appropriate term for this behavior is not pedophilia which refers to a perverted attraction to children, (i.e. those who have not reached puberty). A perverted attraction to those who have reached puberty, teenagers, is ephebophilia. No one has said that the second behavior is not just as wrong as the first.
teddy, your comment that molestation just happens is unnacceptable. It’s not about hate. It’s about truth. The Church does have to share the blame. Even now there is a concerted effort by some Bishops to bring homosexuals into the priesthood with the expectation that they will practice “heroic virtue”. Are you outraged? Rather than heal the temptation to sin or the sin of complacency with grave temptation, the Church is making objectively disordered young men our spiritual leaders and putting them in confessionals with children and young men and people who struggle with this sin before the priest himself is healed. There is a movement in society to normalize this behavior and the Church is complicit it seems. Yet faithful Catholics everywhere HAVE experienced the miracle of God’s grace with all manner of sin and that is being pushed aside for talk of compassion (which isn’t compassion at all but a lack of will). The acceptance of homosexual relations is not a naturally occuring evolution, but a planned and calculated series of actions on the parts of many. There are “gatekeepers” keeping people and information out who oppose the agenda. We need to speak up and defend the true faith and the reality of grace and God’s ability to OVERCOME sin, not turn a blind eye to it. And we need to vote! These things are happening not by God’s will but by Christian apathy and moral corruption. There is a big difference. God does not use EVIL to do good. The good He brings up out of this EVIL is people waking up to the truth of grace and His ability to overcome all sin and also people seeing the fruit of homosexual relations on the destruction of the innocence of children, the takeover of the media, the sexualization of society, the silence about all the destructive consequences of this lifestyle particularly to men, the sorting of kids based on appearances and interests into sexual categories, the stereotyping of sexes, the attempts to create division between men and women rather than a brother/sister relationship, the attempt to destroy the definition of marriage and on and on. It’s time to beg God’s intercession and repent and stand up.
Pam, there is nothing in what the Cardinal said that implies that just because it is not Pedophilia it is therefore not sinful. We need to be accurate in what is going on if we are going to deal with these issues. Statutory homosexual rape is just as sinful and offensive as pedophilia.
Dear Quid est Veritas, Thank you for your support. However, I think you misunderstood. I am not Catholic, having left the church forty years ago.
I did not leave as a result of being raped, as I had not yet dealt with that trauma. I left because I had no use for the homophobia; misogyny; hypocrisy; distorted priorities; self-righteousness; unhealthy and unnatural attitude toward human sexuality; teaching through guilt and fear; unquestioning obedience. I could easily find all the positive aspects of the religion elsewhere, without all the offensive behaviors and beliefs which are present in the Catholic church. And having learned about the clergy abuse situation ten years ago, my views on the men who lead the church and the misguided,harmful institutional attitudes were confirmed and made stronger.
Jon, Please reread his statement. The “but” says it all. When you have to rely on technicalities to try to make something look less heinous than it is, you are no longer in “Christian mode.” If anyone came on to my teenage child they would be pedophiles in my eyes. What parent thinks a teenage child is able to withstand the coercion of an older authority figure they should trust? Especially one who speaks for God?!
Christine, We live in a time when there has been great sexual and moral upheaval in society. I am so sorry for what you suffered and it may be hard or impossible for you to return to the Catholic faith, but the truth is that aside from the bad priests there are many good ones. Homophobia is a term coined by homosexuals to make their lifestyle seem like an ok thing. It is not. Jesus and the Bible are clear on this. I see the misogyny also in some priests. Christ said this is what He spoke of when he said “If this is what men are like when the wood is green what will it be like when it is dry.” We must be holier the more we see sin. Also no matter where you go, Jesus is TRULY present in the Eucharist only in the Catholic faith- no matter how corrupt the priest - He promised. So everyplace else is not the same. God bless.
Christine, I am sorry for what you experienced and understand personally the treachery but your reasons for leaving are troubling. God himself calls homosexuality unnatural and the Bible is very clear on this. It speaks of men laying with men as they would with a woman and women giving up natural relations for relations with another women. It talks of how God has just handed them over to their passions. Peter, John, Paul who all lived with and were taught by Jesus all speak harshly about this sin and how it is offensive to God and not something a follower of Christ would ever do. The word homophobia is coined by homosexuals as a way to make people think the sin is theirs not the homosexuals. But the sin is for all of us to deal with. It is sin and of the flesh and can be overcome by living in Jesus Christ. I see the misogyny too - an off shoot perhaps of homosexuality. When the natural affinity for the opposite sex isn’t there and they are a source of pain not joy then they aren’t really loved are they? Do you notice the put-downs framed as jokes that are often part of a conversation with homosexuals and some who have taken a vow of celibacy? As to guilt and fear, they are not the enemies you think they are. Guilt shows a knowledge of right and wrong and a living conscience. Some people try to make everything sinful and that is a sin in itsef, but feeling guilty for offending God, for not trusting in Him, for caving into carnal desires outside matrimony or even in matrimony that are not based in love of God and neighbor is a GOOD thing. And fear of God is the beginning of wisdom so those who would have you have no fear would try to wipe God out of your soul. This fear of God is born of a respect for the power He has over your everlasting soul and all creation. But when you fear God enough to want to know Him and find HIS way, all useless fear disappears. He has counted the hairs on your head and knows when every sparrow dies. He holds you in the palm of His hand and loves you, waiting for you to return to Him and love Him as He should be loved. Your dignity as a child of this great God makes MANY sexual actions beneath you. And MANY expressions of true love mandatory. You say you can find God in alot of Churches and I am sure you can, but you can only find the sacraments and Jesus truly present and the fullness of all truth in the Catholic Church. He is there despite the apostate priests, despite the hypocrisy. Don’t let the evil weeds among the wheat keep you from being part of the wheat and come back and fight for the true faith you know should exist there. God bless.
Pam, You mentioned that it might be hard or impossible for me to return to the church. You must have missed my point. I have absolutely no desire to return. It is not a hard decision for me. I left at age 14 and have never had a moment of regret. It is not painful for me to have left the church. I have a full, joyful, peaceful spiritual life and no need to make a change in my spiritual practice.
About priests, I never said anything about bad vs. good priests. I realize there are good priests. I personally know and care for good priests. I also know that many “good” priests have never criticized the hierarchy re. the sexual abuse and cover-up. Very few “good” priests have actively supported victims. Very few “good” priests have shown the courage to demand accountability and justice. Those who have are often shunned by other “good” priests and are often punished by the hierarchy. Their passivity is very troubling and indicates that they continue to value the “brotherhood” over the victims.
Pam,
Homophobia is not a term coined by homosexuals to promote their lifestyle. Following is the dictionary definition, which is used by homosexuals and heterosexuals alike. “ho·mo·pho·bi·a:? noun -
unreasoning fear of or antipathy toward homosexuals and homosexuality.”
The bible says several things which are now considered absurd and hateful by most thinking, compassionate humans. I could quote them, but I assume you know, given your “expertise.” Those who use the bible to condemn homosexuality, while ignoring other questionable parts of the bible, lose all credibility with me.
I never said that I could “find God in a lot of churches.” You misquote me. I said I could find the “all the positive aspects of the religion elsewhere.” I did not mention the word church or God. One does not need to join an organized religion to have a spiritual practice.
As you are trying to convince me to come back to the church, your words do just the opposite. I have stated clearly that I have no desire to rejoin the Catholic church. My decision is based on critical thinking, self-reflection and strongly held values. How arrogant of you to presume you know what is best for me, particularly regarding a very personal decision. My spiritual life is not your business. While you believe your church is the true church, I, and many others around the world, do not share your belief. MY God is not “waiting for me to return to him,” as I am already at home. And I am living my serene, joyful life after healing from the harm done to be by being raised Catholic (and I am not even referring to the rape by a priest). Your disrespect toward me is staggering.
As the song goes “I am afraid of what you do in the name of your God.”
Christine, You are extremely defensive in how you read my posts. They have been written in charity. I’m sorry you can not discuss this with less hostility. It appears you may be saying you are homosexual? You say you are basing your spiritual life on “critical thinking, self-reflection and strongly held values.” What about the truth? And what is the basis of those values? You? Your feelings? Your x number of years on earth? The media? Christ lived. He is God and an historical figure. There are thousands of years of great saints who have shared their wisdom and insights into His teaching. We are on a Catholic website so I hope you don’t feel insulted that He and His truth are promoted here. And you are not those people from all over the world. You are blogging as someone who left the Catholic Church. You came from a Christian background. My post isn’t adressed to people of different faith traditions. I might well address them differently, but it is adressed to you, a former Catholic. Since you don’t elaborate on the “harm” done in your first fourteen years, the only comment I can make is that NO harm was done learning the true faith to any human being or soul. The only harm that comes is from the failings of the humans teaching or trying to live it or those openly rebelling against it. At fourteen you hardly had the knowledge or wisdom to make the generalizations you do against the Church although you may have seen actions of particular individuals that were homophobic or mysogynist. Still writing off a whole religion because of the actions of a few is drastic. The world is full of sinners and you are one of them. We don’t start out perfect. We don’t even finish perfect. We are on a journey to Him who is perfection and try to conform more to Him each day. God will not force you, you have to be open. As to the origin of the term homophobia, it is from homosexuals and the definition of homophobia in a dictionary is not how people use it in the real world as you know if you are honest with yourself. In the real world it describes anyone who disagrees with the lifestyle, no matter how well grounded their reasoning is. As to the generalization that the Bible says many things that are absurd by “most thinking”, (do you follow the crowd or the truth?) the teaching on homosexuality isn’t one of them. Men and women are sexually complimentary. Nature shows how marvelously the two come together - the fruit of the union can be a new life! Isn’t that awesome?! “By their fruit you shall know them.” Men and men and women and women cannot create a new life. (No fruit) It’s like asking a carpenter to build with two male parts or two female parts. Can’t build like that. Also, we know that there are serious consequences to the physical health especially of male homosexuals, including incontinence, multiple partners, lower immune system, shorter lifespan etc. We are seeing the serious moral consequences as well - children being sterotyped by their build or makeup or appearance or interests, the sexualization of society through the media, etc. These bad fruit all reinforce the teaching of the Church. The temptation to homosexual relations is a great cross and every human being who deals with this should be treated with great love and respect but true love is always leading the other to what is best for them and their soul - not what feels good for here and now. Sorry you do not wish to explore a relationship with God and yet are on this site. Sorry if you interpret sharing the faith as “arrogance.” And sorry you are not more open to the truth.
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