Bishop Emeritus Edward J. Slattery releases statement on the testimony of Archbishop Carlo Viganò

It was during the "long Lent of 2002," that the Church in America was forced to acknowledge both the fact of sexual abuse within the Church's clergy, and the systematic attempt, extending back over decades, to hide this abuse.

The staggering number of children and young adults who were victimized and the details of their betrayal by the men to whom they gave religious respect and spiritual affection convinced the Bishops of the coun­try to institute new and more stringent policies to protect those under our care. With a false sense of secu­rity, we bishops assured the faithful that the painful lessons we learned concerning predatory sexual activity would not be forgotten.

But by placing our trust in policies and protocols we Bishops of the United States failed our people yet again. First of all we failed because our plans were too narrow to include the possibility that the bishops themselves could be the perpetrators. And secondly, we failed precisely because we put our trust in poli­cies rather than in calling the faithful - laity, clergy and hierarchy - to a more profound relationship with Christ. It is deep conversion alone to Jesus that affords broken men and women the possibility of living chaste lives in a nurturing community where there is respect and dignity for all.

Late this summer our American bishops' second failure became the cause of bitter shame among the faith­ful. Allegations of the most vile corruption snake around the reputation of America's senior Bishops and Cardinals, and with Archbishop Viganò's allegations last weekend, even Pope Francis' reputation has been sullied. If there is corruption surrounding the Chair of Peter, then instead of being the Church's visible source and foundation of her unity (as Christ intended) the office of Peter's successor becomes a source of mistrust, division and scandal. 

The time has come for His Holiness, Pope Francis, to initiate an immediate, full and exhaustive inquiry into the allegations surrounding his office and his relations with the highest ranking members of the American Hierarchy. I wish to thank Bishop David Konderla of the Diocese of Tulsa for the courage he showed in being one of the first bishops to call for such an investigation. I want to join my name publicly to his and to those other bishops in calling for this initiative so that by this investigation, the Church may fearlessly identify the corruption within, and by prayer and penance root it out. There is no other way. 

+ Edward J. Slattery
  August 29th, 2018
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