THE BISHOPS SPEAK

“Fr. Allan MacDonald, CC, the General Superior of the Companions of the Cross has written a very honest and vulnerable piece expressing what is in the hearts of so many faithful priests who are living and ministering with integrity and have been profoundly affected by these disturbing revelations. Although clearly distressed and demoralized by the revelations, Fr. MacDonald also reminds us that Jesus is still in the boat and he is still ultimately steering the ship. He has never abandoned us and never will. Despite feelings of powerlessness in the face of evil, Fr. MacDonald provides some spot on, practical advice especially for the laity who have also been profoundly impacted by the sins and crimes of Church leaders. I wholeheartedly agree with his conclusion that this time of purification in the Church has afforded us the opportunity to respond to Christ’s call to ‘listen to him, detach from the ways of the world, and be humble.’ We have come a long way, but we are also being a lot more proactive in safeguarding our pastoral environments and protecting all members of our community, especially minors and vulnerable persons so that the Gospel can continue to be faithfully and credibly proclaimed and lived out in our faith communities.” — From Ottawa Archdiocese Auxiliary Bishop Christian Riesbeck. “From the priests of the diocese who are living with integrity and who want only to serve the people entrusted to their care, I have learned how much they have suffered and how debilitating this crisis has been for them. Not only have they been embarrassed by the heinous actions of a few, the actions of these few individuals have caused every priest to be treated with suspicion and their motives to be questioned. Our diocese has been hit hard by the crisis of sexual abuse. All of our people, including our priests, have had to carry the heavy burden of this scandal. This crisis has changed our Church. It has changed me.” — Bishop Ronald Fabbro, of London, Ont., in the foreword to report on sexual abuse from the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops.