Catholic Diocese should fully reckon with abuse victims

The Catholic prayer known as the “Act of Contrition” is prayed when seeking forgiveness.

The prayer says nothing about shielding oneself from the consequences of one’s sins. It’s a simple and penitential plea, an acceptance of responsibility and a resolution to do better.

If only that had been the guiding principle of the Roman Catholic Church in its handling of priestly sexual abuse of children.

Instead, church officials — in the Diocese of Harrisburg and around the world — sought to cover up the sins of their priests and the horrific harm they had done to vulnerable children.

Bishops passed offending priests from parish to parish, and then locked documents away in secret archives to which only they held the keys. And when victims pressed for the right to sue their abusers and those who enabled their abuse, the church hired lobbyists to beat back legislation that would have given victims that opportunity.

Harrisburg Bishop Ronald Gainer rightly referred to the church’s “horrific past” at a recent news conference. But then he left the details to lawyers for the diocese.

As The Inquirer and Spotlight PA reported, “Wednesday’s [bankruptcy] filings revealed a complex financial structure in which much of what the diocese once owned was moved in 2009 into charitable trusts, which it maintains are beyond the reach of court judgments and bankruptcy creditors . ... It is just one tactic dioceses nationwide have employed to ensure their survival as the clergy sex abuse crisis endures.”

We’re not quibbling with the church’s decision to pursue bankruptcy. We’re just dismayed by the church’s continuing failure to fully face the harm it has caused.

Carolyn Fortney and her sister, Lara Fortney-McKeever, both were sexually abused as children by the Rev. Augustine Giella in their Dauphin County parish. So, too, were three of their sisters. Carolyn and Lara were guests on WITF’s “Smart Talk”.

The sisters said they found it difficult to watch Wednesday’s news conference — they felt as if the diocese was blaming them and other abuse victims for its financial woes. (Fortney-McKeever and her sister Patty have filed a civil lawsuit against the diocese.)

They particularly objected to a statement by Matthew Haverstick, a lawyer for the diocese, who said the bankruptcy filing would offer survivors the transparency they sought.

The sisters said victims aren’t looking for financial transparency from the diocese. They’re looking for the pieces of the puzzle — Who knew about the abuse? Who covered it up and why? — they need to find some peace.

“You cannot put a price tag on validation. And you cannot put a price tag on reclaiming power,” Benjamin Andreozzi, an attorney representing Fortney-McKeever, said on “Smart Talk.” “And the way that you do that is by confronting the individuals who are responsible for your abuse.”

The Diocese of Harrisburg is trying to keep that from happening.

And that is the sin for which it keeps failing to seek penance.

We find this alarming: Andreozzi believes the diocese will be able to extinguish outstanding survivor claims in the Chapter 11 reorganization, and pay victims far less than it might in a jury trial.

The Boy Scouts of America also declared bankruptcy last week, seeking to survive its own barrage of lawsuits from victims of sexual abuse. And according to The Associated Press, the organization now is faced with the prospect of selling “some of their vast property holdings, including campgrounds and hiking trails, to raise money for a victims’ fund that could top $1 billion.”

Again, we implore those who may be affected by the fallout to place the blame where it belongs — on the shoulders of those who waited far too long to do the right thing.

People rightly look to venerated institutions, like the Catholic Church and the Scouts, to provide examples of moral leadership.

To provide such leadership, these institutions have to be willing to accept responsibility for their transgressions.

Filing for bankruptcy may protect financial assets. Much more is required to protect moral assets.