justice for victims

Bernadette Howell, Spiritual Health Practitioner - March 5, 2025 Breaking the silence. Confronting clergy abuse. For those of you who’ve been following my recent blog posts you will know that last month I had a reprieve from jury duty. I’d cleared my calendar and old clients I would likely not be available for five weeks. This then resulted in subsequently finding myself with extra free ‘time’ stretching before me! Quite a delight really. But what to do? Take a local road trip and explore somewhere new? Fast forward my planned summer trip back to Europe? Or curl up at home and indulge myself in lots of reading and writing? One blog reader suggested that I should watch the Prime Video series called “Jury Duty”. (Thank you to this reader for such light hearted entertainment!) Spread over eight episodes “Jury Duty” is filmed documentary style. However, unbeknown to one person, a delightful young man called Ronald Gladden, it really is in fact a comedy ‘mockumentary’ Everyone is an actor with the exception of Ronald who genuinely believes himself to be chosen as Juror # 6. The wealth of different characters comprising the other eleven jurors, the two alternatives, the judge, the prosecutor, the accused, the defense team, the court bailiff and even the security guard on duty at the entrance of the courts are wonderfully and beautifully drawn-out personalities and well acted. Its hilarious should you want to dip into something lighthearted! Aside from watching this, I also ended up doing some reading. And, in line with the current focus on Pope Francis dealing with a health crisis, I thought this week I’d share an overview of one book, should some of you be interested in reading it. My thanks to the blog reader who recommended this book. But before I dive into this book, I want to also thank the blog reader who sent me a link to CBC’s “The Early Edition” of February 25th, 2025, when Stephen Quinn invited Archbishop Michael Miller onto his early morning radio show. Michael Miller gave his reflections on his time as the outgoing Archbishop of Vancouver to include “having to” deal with the clergy abuse crisis. What I found quite extraordinary was Archbishop Miller’s response when Stephen Quinn asked him where things were at with regards to the thirty-three recommendations published in the 2019 Clergy Abuse Report. “We’re pretty well ahead” he replied, with immediate ease and confidence. Goodness! This IS news to me! It’s a tad disappointing to hear this shared on CBC radio, and only when prompted and asked directly by the show’s host. Why has the archdiocese not addressed this publicly, of its own volition, through proactive public channels? It is, after all, close to three years since the public was last updated on just how “well ahead” the Vancouver Archdiocese is with all of the thirty-three recommendations. Archbishop Miller, in all fairness, goes on to say, “there are some things we’re a little slower with, as in, getting this stuff on the web” but then concludes: “We’re in an okay place.” Really? Surely “getting this stuff on the web” should not take three years? But hey, let’s not worry too much. All will be revealed in four weeks time, at the end of March, when the archdiocese promised that we'll see a public website, complete with an updated list of just how “far ahead” they are with each of the recommendations. I for one, really look forward to viewing this and especially, seeing more names published. Some wonder why it is important to see names published. Let me offer explanation on this. Publishing names helps silent victims, and many are out there, who believe they were the only one to be sexually assaulted or abused by a certain priest only to learn, when names have been published, that they were, in fact, not alone. Remember the February 2024 trial of John Doe versus the Vancouver Archdiocese and Fr. John Kilty? For years, John Doe believed he was the only one. And then found out he was not. If my memory serves me, there are now a further six victims who have come forward, each filing individual cases. I cannot begin to fathom what it must be like for each of these individuals to finally now bring their hidden past to light, and feel validated that what happened to them was so very real, totally unacceptable and finally can be highlighted and confronted. But back to Archbishop Miller’s comment that the Vancouver Archdiocese is “well ahead” dealing with clergy abuse in the Vancouver Archdiocese. Something to bear in mind is that 35 files, not 36, were brought forward to the 2018/2019 Clergy Abuse Review Committee. This committee was led by the self-appointed Chair: the Vancouver Archdiocese’s lawyer at that time. It was Leona Huggins, once a Vancouver SNAP representative, and myself who brought forward the name of an additional predator priest not listed in the thirty five files brought before the committee. This name was one the Vancouver Archdiocese clearly knew about for the archdiocese had in fact paid a victim a sum of money when they'de brought their complaint forward. Not only this, this transaction was facilitated by the very lawyer who was chairing our committee. Hmm… now how did that happen? And shouldn’t we be wondering how many other ‘lost’ or ‘hidden’ files are lurking about? Out of thirty-six files, nine names were published in 2019. One of the published names was a name not brought to the table or discussed with the review committee. So where was that file hiding? A year later in December 2020, three further names were published. Two of those names had not brought to the committee. And in June 2021, six months on, five more names were published of which a further two had not been brought to the committee. What then shocked everyone and hurt so many people however was that the Vancouver Archdiocese waited three years after the initial 2019 Clergy Abuse Report before finally choosing to publish the name of Benedictine monk, Placidus Sander. Placidus Sander’s name was not published until June 2022, six months after his death and three years after it was clear to anyone sitting on the Clergy Abuse Review Committee what heinous crimes he had committed. Why? To let the ‘holy monk’ die in peace? To protect the Benedictine community out in Mission? Whatever the reasons, one vaguely alluded to in the The Minor Seminary Transparency Initiative documents, there certainly was little to no care afforded to Placidus’s many victims and their loved ones. So yes, publishing names is hugely important… In 2025, seven years after what was hailed as an historic event in the Catholic Church’s history in Canada, it’s easy to do the math. From the original list of 35 files presented by the Vancouver Archdiocese in 2018, only 13 names from those files have been published. Will the incoming bishop, Archbishop Richard Smith, care about this? During the same CBC radio interview on February 25, 2025, Archbishop Richard Smith is recorded as speaking about his work supporting reconciliation with indigenous groups—and of both “walking with them” and “learning from them”. After he takes up his new position, will he choose to meet with the many victims of clergy abuse who live in the Vancouver Archdiocese, whether indigenous or not, and “walk with them” and “learn from them”? One can always hope... But now, let me give you an overview of the book called “Jesus Wept” by Philip Shenon. Shenon is an award-winning investigative journalist and bestselling author who, earlier in his career, was a reporter at The New York Times. This book has garnered a lot of attention with its timely publication as the health of Pope Francis continues to lie in the balance. One way or another, the time is near to usher in a new pope to take over the monarchy and the throne—that is, the ‘throne of St. Peter” as it’s called, along with the power and politics that come with this coveted position. Shenon’s book "Jesus Wept" is subtitled “Seven Popes and The Battle For The Soul Of The Catholic Church”. Through his unprecedented research, Shenon conducts hundreds of interviews and ploughs his way through extensive, exhaustive archival material. He chronicles the struggles of the Catholic Church through the lives and the lens of the last seven popes, beginning with Pope Pius XII (1939 – 1958) and up to an including Pope Francis (2013 to present day). This book has been called a masterpiece that gives a “consummate vibrant history of the modern Church”. Amazon reports: “In ‘Jesus Wept’, Philip Shenon takes us inside the Holy See to reveal its intricacies, hypocrisies, and hidden maneuverings, bringing all the momentous disputes and issues vividly to life: priestly celibacy, birth control, homosexuality, restoring ties with other Christians and Jews, shameful sex abuse crimes, the role of women in the Church.” This book sets out with Pius XII, an Italian pope born by the name of Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli who became pope in 1939 and it ends with the current pope, Pope Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who still is, at this time of writing, the Catholic Church’s current pope. In short, Pope Pius XII, whose papacy began during turbulent times in Europe, was known for not having spoken out against Nazi crimes despite evidence that he was well aware of what was happening. Pope Pius XII was often referred to as the “silent pontiff’... As Shenon notes, Pius XII was “the Vatican's diplomatic representative to Bavaria and later to Germany for a dozen years after World War I.” He was also the Archbishop of Munich prior to becoming a pope, meeting personally with a then-rising Adolf Hitler. This pope had a great love for Germany. While many like to credit Pius XII for his support of the Jewish population, Shenon’s research into archival material unearthed the role of a nun by the name of Sr. Pascalina Lehnert. This “tough-willed nun” Shenon maintains, was “one of the most influential women in the history of the Catholic Church”. Close to Pope Pius XII, Sr. Pascalina Lehnert was the pope's housekeeper. She also, it seems, became a close advisor who pressed him into speaking out against Nazi Germany. It is Sr. Pascalina Lehnert who should be credited for saving the lives of thousands of Roman Jews when Nazi Germany marched into Rome in 1943. It was she who pressured Pope Pius to shelter them in the Vatican City. After Pope Pius XII’s death in 1958, then comes an Italian bishop, Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli. He takes the name of Pope John XXIII. As Shenon notes, Pope John XXIII quickly makes it clear that he's ready to overhaul the Catholic Church. He wishes to modernize things by initiating the Second Vatican Council, a definitive marker in the history of the Catholic Church. This council is still referred to as the point of reform even though it’s already sixty years old. Pope John XXIII was pope for only four years and eight months. This pope unfortunately didn’t live to see the conclusion of the Vatican II Council which he so vigorously set in motion, a heroic effort on his part to modernize the Catholic Church and bring it into the twentieth century. Not so well known or publicized is that Pope John XXIII set up a secret commission to determine whether or not the Church should lift its ban on birth control. He himself was open to the idea but sadly, he died in June 1963, shortly after the opening of Vatican II, and things went no further. The commission this pope appointed, however, continued to meet. In 1966, it recommended to the new pope, Pope Paul VI, that the ban on birth control be lifted. Alas, Pope Paul VI as Philip Shenon reports, fully rejected the findings of this commission. Progress is made, but then new leadership intervenes... Shenon goes on to note that this “rejection of the reforms of Vatican II lasted over the next four popes that followed John XXIII …all who were different from each other, in one way or another.” He goes on to say that all four popes following in the steps of John XXIII “pretty much used their power to impede or roll back these reforms.” Those popes were, namely, Pope John Paul I (who died twenty-five days after his installation), Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI and our current, and outgoing pope, Pope Francis. Pope Paul VI, rejected all attempts by his predecessor Pope John XXIII who had so actively engaged many leading theologians to explore the issue of birth control and who in turn “overwhelmingly conclude that birth control is not a violation of the church's teachings.” The commission proposed that all Catholics and couples “should be allowed to engage in family planning” and "control the size of their families". Alas, Pope Paul VI (…not a family man...) disagreed. This incurred a lot of criticism as well as disregard from the Catholic public and consequently, in 1975, Pope Paul VI instructed the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) to publish Persona Humana. This was a “declaration on sexual morality, which had hardened condemnations of extramarital sex, masturbation and homosexuality.” For those of you wise enough, understanding the absolute physical nature of sexuality, you will understand why suppression, secrecy and sexual abuse soon started to abound. Not only this, ‘Persona Humana’, prompted kick back and revelations in the media about Pope Paul VI’s own personal life: namely that Pope Paul VI was himself “gay and had a boyfriend in Milan.” Yeah? No? Oh yeah! I’m not making any of this up... But let’s move on. Pope John Paul I was not in office long enough to affect any major changes, whether in taking the Church forward or backwards. We learn that he died from a heart attack in the evening hours of September 28, 1978. Another pope had to be elected and so we come to the reign of Pope John Paul II, who was made a ‘saint’ by those, I suspect, who are in denial about his darker and shadier side. Shenon writes that one of the most “eye-popping” documents he ever came across in all his years of research was a letter written in 1999 by Cardinal John O'Connor of New York. This cardinal, arguably, in Shenon’s opinion, was at the time the most powerful churchman in America to Pope John Paul II. Cardinal O'Connor had, in 1999, just been informed that he was "about to die”. Shenon goes on to say that O'Connor had "just had brain surgery with only weeks to live. One of his final acts was to write this letter in late 1999. It was a dire warning (to Pope John Paul II) that he must not promote Archbishop Theodore McCarrick, who was then based in Newark, New Jersey. He must not be promoted to any higher office in the Church because of widespread, well-known evidence that he was a sexual predator.” Apparently, Cardinal O'Connor offers “quite explicit information about McCarrick, including the fact that he liked to invite young men to his home for dinner and then insist that they sleep with him in his bed.” Shenon goes on to say that “even though this letter is presented (to Pope John Paul II) by a respected senior churchman in the United States, Pope John Paul II ignores this warning from Cardinal O'Connor and ignores warnings from lots of other senior Vatican officials who also know about McCarrick and still promotes him to membership in the College of Cardinals and makes him Archbishop of Washington, D.C.” Hmmm....well, we all know the rest of this story. But consider this… Back in 1999, Pope John Paul II was notified and made aware of the actions and abuses of this predator priest yet chose to ignore and protect this priest, his friend. This supposed ‘saint’ similarly ignored warnings about his friend, the notorious Marcial Maciel, founder the Legion of Christ and the Regnum Christi movement. Maciel was a “longtime drug addict who sexually abused many boys and young men in his care. After his death, it came to light that he had also maintained sexual relationships with at least four women, one of whom was a minor at the time.” He also additionally “fathered as many as six children, two of whom he is alleged to have sexually abused.” How does the Catholic Church choose it’s ‘saints’ when they ignore things like this? But back to Theodore McCarrick.... It is said that Pope Francis was “reportedly unaware of allegations of (Theodore McCarrick’s) sexual abuses till 2018.” So how does a cardinal of such “high standing” (…and one who allegedly paid Pope Benedict $250,000 in a quiet cash deal on the side) get to carry on with such abhorrent criminal activities, all in the name of ‘God’ ? Apparently unseen by the man in charge, the Pope? McCarrick, as noted by Shenon, was “one of the best fundraisers in the Church”. He apparently bestowed many financial gifts to bishops and cardinals as a way of “buying their cooperation and to allow himself to advance within the church, to prevent any sort of investigation of his sexual misconduct.” In June 2018, two decades after Cardinal O’Connor’s wrote that letter to Pope John Paul II and two popes later, McCarrick was finally removed from ministry. Two decades and two popes later? Would such crimes and corporate cover-up be acceptable elsewhere? Shenon goes on to share that Pope Francis, who took up the reigns in 2013, put himself out there as a pope of “mercy and tolerance’ albeit not withstanding “a lot of justifiable criticism for having not done nearly enough about the child sexual abuse crisis”. Indeed, Pope Francis has had his own checkered record on sexual abuse in Argentina with reports about sexual abuse that he was reported to have covered up in Argentina despite his claim, “It [sex abuse] never happened in my diocese.” Many of us have come to appreciate all the good that Pope Francis has brought to the Catholic Church over the course of his papacy. The Pope, as absolute monarch, can choose, as Francis has done so, all of the personnel around him he wishes to succeed him. Whatever his papacy has been, one thing Pope Francis has done is to ensure that 80% of the cardinals who will vote in the next conclave, which, lets face is, is likely to happen soon, are men who were put there by him. But who can fault this. Wouldn’t any leader want to do the same? While Francis may not have achieved all he hoped to achieve during his papacy, he most certainly has moved the needle in the right direction. He also leaves behind a College of Cardinals who will, in part, continue his legacy... Or will they? As Shenon succinctly points out, any “future pope could just reverse them (improvements made and steps forward taken) as easily as Francis put them into place.” Think “Biden v Trump”... Anything, good or bad that Biden put in place, Trump has been and is swift to reverse. What, indeed, will the next pope do? After all his detailed research and commentary in his book, “Jesus Wept”, Philip Shenon comments that: “Whatever your religious background, you have to admire much of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The message of mercy and tolerance is a noble one. You don't have to be a Christian to see the wisdom of what Jesus Christ offered to the world….2,000 years ago.” He goes on to write: “That there is this institution that claims to act in his name, I think, would surprise ‘the savior’ and would surprise his disciples and apostles. Yet I think they would be enormously disappointed by how often the Roman Catholic Church fails to live up to the message of the Gospel and how often it has allowed itself to be corrupted…” This alone makes me weep. No wonder Jesus also wept…. ‘Til next time, Bernadette