Diocese
Of
Thunder Bay
April 15, 2010 Over the past few weeks, in the midst of our great Easter celebrations, there were many articles in the news concerning the Pope and sexual abuse scandals in our Church. It seemed like the media wanted to headline any information that would or could accuse the Pope or the Catholic Church of inaction, indifference and a lack of concern for victims abused by priests. As horrendous as these crimes were and are, under the leadership of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, our Church has taken many important steps to eradicate this terrible behaviour in the ranks of our clergy and anyone working for the Church. Pope Benedict XVI, in particular, has spoken about and confronted this issue more than any other Pope of our time. Many of the news articles dealt with issues from 20 to 30 years ago, and the priests who abused in the past have either died or been removed from ministry and the priesthood. Currently, men desiring to be priests in our Church are examined and assessed in a multitude of ways, throughout many years of training and formation, to make sure they will be faithful priests for the Church. The cases presented in the news during these past weeks seemed to indicate a new wave of sexual abuse in the Church, and this is definitely not true. Every diocese in all of North America has a strict policy concerning this issue, and any credible allegations against a priest or anyone in the Church are taken very seriously. Our first and primary response is to help the victims and their families in whatever way we can. The accused priest is removed from ministry and in many cases never returns to ministry if found guilty. Proper civil authorities are always informed and strict procedures are always followed. Years ago, no one seemed to know how to respond to these cases. I am sure mistakes were made in the learning process and our response today is certainly much different than it was in the past. We have deepened our understanding and worked with civil, medical and Church persons to help us know what actions to take in these difficult situations. The media failed to report that the Catholic Church, including the Canadian and American bishops, have come a long way in better understanding and combating this serious issue in our Church. I believe the presentations in many articles over the past weeks were incomplete, skewed and intentionally hurtful, especially to the Holy Father. It was regretful that this entire episode of criticism was promoted during our Easter celebrations. It must have made it very difficult for many of our Catholic faithful to enter into the true spirit of this Easter time. However, the Spirit of the Lord keeps us strong and will see us through this episode and into the future. We will always work to improve our actions and to make sure that all people, especially children, are safe in our Churches. Easter is a time of newness and new beginnings. Our Catholic faith is strong and I am convinced that our Church community will continue to live this faith in hope. May God bless us and give us courage and strength for our journey. Sincerely in Christ, + Fred Colli Most Rev. Fred J. Colli,
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