Here is the text of a letter from the Most Rev. Michael J. Sheridan, bishop of Colorado Springs, in advance of the report on sexual misconduct to be issued Friday by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
In a few days the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops will release the John Jay College Report. This study will provide a complete accounting of the reports of sexual misconduct received by the Catholic diocese and religious orders for the period from 1950 to 2002. The report will not be good, and it will, no doubt, result in a large number of articles and news stories troubling to all of us who love the Church. I want to share some thoughts with you that may be helpful as you consider the John Jay College report in the days ahead.
The report will undoubtedly show that far too many Catholic priests violated their vows and human decency by betraying the trust of children and by having sexual contact with them. Those who directly experienced such abuse and their family members as well carry wounds they should never have experienced. The priest offenders betrayed them, and many bishops did as well. We cannot undue these injuries, but we can and do resolve to be compassionate to the wounded and to take every reasonable precaution to ensure that this will never happen again.
The Church abhors sexual misconduct and has long taught that sexual activity must be limited to marriage. The care of young people is among the Church's most important obligations. For them to suffer harm at the hands of anyone associated with the Church-especially members of the clergy-is evil. As our Holy Father, John Paul II, said, "There is no place in the priesthood or religious life for those who would harm the young."
We know from other reports that the problem of sexual abuse by clergy is not dispersed uniformly among the parishes or dioceses in the United States. Some dioceses have experienced far more problems-both in relative and absolute numbers-than others. Our diocese, for example, has received only a single report involving a priest of this diocese. Bishop Hanifen permanently removed that priest from the ministry as soon as the allegations were confirmed nearly 20 years ago.
Most Catholics see and experience the faith and goodness of the priests who serve them. Day by day they see their priests welcoming those new to the faith, ministering to the sick, anointing the dying, and offering the sacraments of the Church. To those Catholics I say: support your priests, pray for them, and thank them for their service.
We also know from other reports that the problem of sexual abuse by the clergy is not dispersed uniformly over time. Previously reported data and, I suspect, the data that will be included in the John Jay College Report show that sometime in the early 1990s, the incidence of abuse of minors by Catholic clergy declined dramatically. I believe this is because most dioceses were-already by that time-undertaking meaningful preventive efforts. Bishop Hanifen, for example, put in place a thoughtful prevention plan in our diocese in 1991 with the adoption of a sexual misconduct policy that we have repeatedly updated to ensure its effectiveness.
In June 2002, I joined the American bishops in adopting the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, a comprehensive framework to help all dioceses end the sexual abuse of minors by clergy. The Charter does this by:
· Promoting healing and reconciliation with survivors of child sexual abuse;
· Ensuring an effective response to allegations;
· Providing accountability of the procedures adopted in the Charter; and
· Protecting the faithful in the future
Our dioceses and almost every diocese in the United States also participated in an unprecedented audit to ensure compliance with the Charter. On January 6, the Gavin Group, which served as the auditors, reported that 90 percent of the dioceses were in full compliance with the Charter, and most others were in basic compliance and working toward full compliance. Our diocese will be in full compliance when we complete training our volunteers next month.
You may wonder why we bishops have decided to publish so much negative information. There are several reasons. We trust that there is grace in naming and confessing this sin. We pray that our transparency on this subject will restore trust with the faithful members of our flock. We also want to learn from our mistakes and help others learn as well. We cannot do this without comprehensive information. We also know that the problem of sexual abuse is not limited to the Catholic Church or even all churches. It is epidemic in our society, and it arises also from schools, day care centers, human services organizations, state-run foster homes, and prisons. It is even a problem in families which are the source of almost 70 percent of the sexual abuse of minors. We hope that the information we publish will permit these organizations to learn from our experience. We hope it will challenge them to undergo their own serious examinations and to share their experiences so that we and others might wisely define our preventative practices.
We bishops have undertaken a massive project to do what we can to assist those who have been harmed, to prevent future abuse, and to restore trust. The Church has suffered dark moments in the past. In that darkness it learned that we can forever trust in Jesus' fidelity and forgiveness. We claim that trust today. We are confident in God's abundant mercy. May we unite in prayer, mercy, and love to help heal the wounds of this scandal.
With every best wish, I remain,
Sincerely Yours in Christ,
Most Rev. Michael J. Sheridan
Bishop of Colorado Springs
