Time for laity to help bishops with crisis, Cesareo tells gathering

By Tanya Connor  | The Catholic Free Press

WHITINSVILLE – St. Patrick Parish has been helping its people deal with the turmoil caused by the recent revelations about sexual abuse in the Church. As part of that effort, it hosted Francesco Cesareo, president of Assumption College in Worcester and president of the National Review Board, Monday night to give people a broader picture of the issue and how to respond to it.
The Catholic Church can show society how to protect minors if it successfully does so itself.
But, because of clergy sexual abuse and coverup, the Church has lost the credibility needed even to speak about other problems.
It is time for the laity to make their voices heard by writing letters.
These were among points made by President Cesareo, who advises the country’s bishops.
He spoke about the national situation and took numerous questions at the session attended by more than 100 people. His talk was not focused on the Worcester Diocese in particular.
Father Tomasz J. Borkowski, St. Patrick’s pastor, prayed for the Church “we love” and welcomed priests and other audience members from other parishes.
Revelations about sexual abuse by then-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick earlier this year brought turmoil in the Church, so St. Patrick’s held two listening sessions where about 50 people each time came to express their feelings. Father Borkowski said that the suggestion to host this gathering came from the listening sessions, and that the parish hopes to hold another next year.
The National Review Board, composed of lay people with expertise in areas such as law and psychology, was formed in 2002 as part of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops established the Charter in 2002 to address allegations of clergy sexual abuse.
The Charter has been repeatedly revised since then, but President Cesareo said it needs to be revised more. While very few new cases of abuse being reported suggests that the Charter is working, safe environment training and frequency of background checks and diocesan review board meetings vary from diocese to diocese.
Allegations are to be brought to the diocesan review board, but, in dioceses that appeared in the headlines, a gatekeeper determined which allegations would go to the board, President Cesareo said.
All allegations are to go to civil authorities, and, if they are credible, the person is removed from ministry, laicized or sent to a life of prayer and penance, he said. But the person can still be a danger.
Unlike diocesan review boards, the NRB doesn’t look at cases, President Cesareo said. It advises the bishops on implementing the Charter, examining data submitted to external companies for audits.
But dioceses that have been in the news because of problems passed the audit, he said.
“The Charter is a good document, but it is a flawed document,” he said. “It needs to give a clear sense of direction” so an auditor knows if a diocese is in compliance.
President Cesareo said people are upset because Church leadership has failed them. And at the U.S. bishops’ fall assembly earlier this month “unfortunately, they were stopped from acting.” The Vatican asked the bishops not to vote on proposals for responding to the crisis until presidents of bishops’ conferences from around the world meet in February to discuss the issue.
“The level of frustration and anger was palpable” among U.S. bishops at the November meeting, because they understood that something needs to be done, because the credibility of the Church is suffering, President Cesareo said.     
The Church needs to address problems such as immigration, racism and poverty, but, because of the sexual abuse crisis, whatever bishops say about other issues is not credible, he said.
“They can’t do it themselves,” he said. This is a moment when the laity need to assist the bishops.
President Cesareo said laity and clergy need to let Church leaders know how upsetting the current situation is and how it is affecting young people. He suggested that people write to their bishop, the papal nuncio and Rome. He said they can send individual and parish-wide letters addressed to him to the National Review Board’s address on the U.S. bishops’ conference website. He will send the letters to Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo, conference president, who will get them to Rome, he said.    
“It’s going to take time, but we have to be persistent,” President Cesareo said.
The Church will never be rid of sex abuse of minors because it’s a societal problem, President Cesareo said.
“We need to deal with it as a society,” he said. “If we (Catholics) get this right, we can show society” how to protect minors.
Asked about the National Review Board’s role in allegations of misconduct with adults, President Cesareo said the board has begun to talk with the bishops about that and recommends that such allegations be sent to the diocesan review board or that a separate review board be created.
This is a very difficult time, he said; “don’t let this lead to a crisis of faith. … Our faith is in Jesus Christ. We know because of the presence of the Holy Spirit” we’ll get through it. “We have to pray for our bishops that they will have the courage” to do what needs to be done.