IMAGE: CNS photo/Jenna Teter, The Texas
By David Sedeno
DALLAS (CNS) — Dallas Bishop Edward J. Burns has asked Pope
Francis for an extraordinary synod to address issues in the latest Catholic
clergy sex abuse crisis, including “abuse of power, clericalism,
accountability and the understanding of transparency in the church.”
The
letter, posted to the Diocese of Dallas’ website Aug. 30, was signed by the
bishop and priests who serve in leadership roles in various consultative bodies
in the diocese. It had been sent earlier in the day to Archbishop Christophe
Pierre, the U.S. papal nuncio, so that it could be forwarded to the pope as
soon as possible.
“The
current crisis of sexual abuse by clergy, the cover-up by leaders in the church
and the lack of fidelity of some have caused great harm,” the letter said.
It suggests that this synod should include topics such as “the care and
the safeguard of children and the vulnerable, outreach to victims, the identity
and lifestyle of the clergy, the importance of healthy human formation within
the presbyterate/religious community, etc.”
“We
are working diligently at the local level to deal with these issues but
increasing accountability at all levels of the church is of utmost importance,”
Bishop Burns said in a statement. He also noted that the priests who signed the
letter “believe a real solution must be found to the heinous issue of
clergy abuse of minors.”
One of
the signers was Father Rudy Garcia, pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Catholic
Church in Frisco, who serves on the diocesan presbyteral council.
“It’s
important to come together at this time of crisis in community of faith and
respond to it through the lens of faith and with a firm resolve to create a
safe environment for our young and vulnerable adults,” he said, adding
that priests must go through the same Safe Environment training that lay
individuals who work or volunteer in parishes and schools are required to do
annually.
“I
think the bishop does an excellent job in drawing the community together and
addressing this difficult issue at this difficult time and marshalling us
around a solid plan of spirituality and of guaranteeing the safety of our
environment now and in the future,” he said.
In a news
conference Aug. 30, Bishop Burns told reporters that he did not know whether
the letter would move the pope to call a synod, but he said that numerous
priests encouraged him to send it anyway.
The
bishop’s call for the special synod follows a similar one from the bishop of
Portsmouth, England, on Aug. 22 and comes after weeks of news of clergy abuse,
not only across the United States and abroad, but also within the Diocese of
Dallas.
On Aug.
19, Bishop Burns told parishioners at St. Cecilia Catholic Church that their
former pastor, Father Edmundo Paredes, had not only stolen church funds, but had
also been accused of sexual misconduct by three individuals, later revealed to
be three now-adult males, who said the abuse happened more than a decade ago.
The bishop said that those allegations were found to be credible.
“If
we are ever going to restore trust or credibility in the church, it’s only
going to come after we consistently do what is right,” Bishop Burns said Aug.
26 at St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church in Plano.
“My
friends, let me say to you that if this church of ours has to go through a
purification, so be it,” he said to applause. “And let us pray for
the fire of the Holy Spirit, so as to purify us, in what we need to do, in
being the church that we say we are. I’m not going to cover my ears or cover my
eyes or cover my mouth and we are going to look at this head-on.”
In the case
of Father Paredes, Dallas diocesan officials have said that the former pastor
is accused of theft of approximately $80,000 and that a settlement had been
reached with the victims, who wished to remain anonymous.
Bishop
Burns has said that in the future the diocese would:
— Hold
a Ceremony of Sorrow at St. Cecilia Catholic Church.
— Schedule
four town hall meetings, beginning with a liturgy, across the diocese to allow
Catholics to ask questions.
— Expand
Safe Environment protocols with wider participation from parishioners.
— Survey
parents, grandparents and parishioners as to the effectiveness of the Safe
Environment Program within their parishes.
— Contract
a researcher to look at Pennsylvania grand jury report about the inefficiencies
of safeguards in the six dioceses there and to compare those inefficiencies to
the Diocese of Dallas.
— Ask
priests across the diocese to pray the rosary prior to each Mass in October,
whenever possible.
Diocesan
officials have not said when the ceremony at St. Cecilia would occur or when or
where the town hall meetings would be scheduled.
– – –
Sedeno
is executive editor of The Texas Catholic and Revista Catolica, the English-
and Spanish-language newspapers of the Dallas Diocese.
– – –
Copyright © 2018 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. www.catholicnews.com. All rights reserved. Republishing or redistributing of CNS content, including by framing or similar means without prior permission, is prohibited. You may link to stories on our public site. This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. To request permission for republishing or redistributing of CNS content, please contact permissions at cns@catholicnews.com.
