Many people in our diocese have been affected, perhaps to varying degrees, by the issue of abuse by some clergy. Regrettably, many have been directly and personally affected.
Others have been part of parish communities from which clergy have been, or are currently, the subject of legal allegations and/or criminal proceedings. They may have been stood aside, charged, and even sentenced. Some of these clergy have died, and others still belong to our community. Some are local, some are not.
Sexual abuse can elicit many feelings and reactions: confusion, disbelief, fear and anxiety, powerlessness, betrayal, divided loyalties, grief, disillusionment, anger, resentment. Whenever discussion about this issue occurs some individuals may revisit past instances of trauma in their own lives.
Some of us who have previously been committed wholeheartedly to our faith and church may have stopped attending Mass, or may have walked away from our communities. Some of us may be just hanging in there, still hoping that we can come through this ordeal as part of the (albeit deeply scarred and perhaps forever changed) community.
Others may question church leadership, structures and culture which have perhaps enabled abuse to occur. Some may think this issue is being given too much attention, and others may feel it is still being denied, covered up, suppressed. For some, the media coverage may seem sickening, sensational, shameful, offensive, dishonest, anti-Catholic. Others may think it is just the journalists and editors doing their jobs and that the truth must be told at all costs. For most of us the media is our only source of information.
In January 2009, the Maitland-Newcastle Diocesan Executive Team called together a group of people with varying backgrounds to consider what could be offered in response to the shared pain of our community in relation to the issue of sexual abuse by some clergy. The group, now known as Insights, consists of people with backgrounds and professional experience in counselling, pastoral care, education, ritual, spirituality and communications. There are representatives from a number of parishes, the Diocesan Pastoral Council, diocesan staff, religious and clergy.
At one of our very first meetings, we shared an experience that has shaped something of what we now present to you. It was the simple act of a small group of people sharing their feelings on this painful issue; being able to speak and to be heard in a spirit of respect and acceptance. One of our members made the statement that every person in the diocese should be given that opportunity.
“Sexual abuse can elicit many feelings and reactions: confusion, disbelief, fear and anxiety, powerlessness, betrayal, divided loyalties, grief, disillusionment, anger, resentment.
For legal and privacy reasons, we are not permitted to discuss current or previous allegations or instances of abuse. Recognising the emotional sensitivities and complexities of these issues, Insights will be facilitated by skilled and experienced local professionals. From the small group experiences, we hope that we will each discern a way forward, or at least the next step in what we hope can be a process of healing for each of us as individuals, as parishes, regions, and as a diocese.
We recognise this may not be an easy process for many. We may be confronted with opposing views and feelings, with the divisions within our communities, with intense emotions within ourselves and others. We hope we can support each other amid these realities, and discern together what we may want or need to do next.
Geoff Mulhearn, Lambton NSW
