Bishop Richard Lennon replaced former Archbishop Cardinal Bernard Law in December, but the Catholic Church remains severely damaged and has not taken enough action one year after the sex scandal exploded. The Boston Archdiocese must immediately settle outstanding abuse cases, restore parishioners’ and priests’ faith in the Church and make dramatic changes to ensure that priests cannot get away with future abuse.
On Monday, Lennon sent a news bulletin to all parish priests, which marks a step in the right direction to restore relations and communicate directly with priests. However, the lay group Voice of the Faithful contends that Lennon has not made any similar moves to reach out to survivors or lay groups.
Public perception is one of the Church’s biggest problems, and has dropped so low that people laugh at Catholic jokes they would never tolerate about other religions. Because people doubt the whole system, changes must begin at the top. The highest officials must prove that they can handle the situation and prevent a similar one from ever occurring again. Then, leaders farther down in the hierarchy can feel comfortable reaching out without having to worry about reprimands for candid compassion.
The Catholic Church must listen to its lay people if it hopes to restore faith in the Church or end the environment of secrecy that helped hide so much abuse. Parishioners called for Law’s resignation long before it happened and boldly stated their opinions. Additionally, they want actual reforms concerning investigations and punishments, not just meaningless talk of zero tolerance. Giving lay people and non-Church groups power to handle allegations of abuse will help them feel they have control over the scandal and make it more difficult for the Church to keep horrible incidents under wraps.
Perhaps the Church could follow the example of local universities Boston College and College of the Holy Cross, which deserve praise for creating open dialogues about the recent events in hopes of reaching out to their students. Their honesty and willingness to examine the roots of the controversy have helped both campuses keep morale and church attendance high.
The Catholic Church as a whole must come to terms with its problems and take real actions that will improve its perception. And Lennon must ensure even further action happens in Boston, where much of the attention remains. Many people believe it’s already too late, and waiting longer will only hurt the Church even more.
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