Several weeks ago, the head of the NY Jesuit Province released the names of his fellow Jesuits who were credibly accused of the sexual abuse of minors over the past 50 years.
Having been educated by the Jesuits myself, I wrote the NY Province. Here’s my letter:
John Cecero SJ’s letter regarding the release the of the names of Jesuits from the Northeast Province contains the unbelievable sentence ‘We did not know any best practices to handle these violations many decades ago and regrettably made mistakes along the way’. Tell me, what’s the right ‘best practice’ for child rape? Wouldn’t a ‘best practice’ have been to report this as the crime it was? John’s use of this term, in my opinion is right up there with his fellow Jesuit Provincial from Oregon when he wrote a letter that compared the ‘humiliation’ he was feeling when his Province was sued by Alaskan villagers for the sex abuse they suffered for over 20 years by Jesuits of his Province to the humiliation that Christ must have felt at Gethsemane. Really? Christ suffering at Gethsemani was not because he abused children. I find it incredible that this provincial would dare to equate Christ’s humiliation to the humiliation that he felt because of what his fellow Jesuits did to children. I find the same incredulity with John’s ‘Best Practice’ comment. Healing from this event will only occur when those in Jesuit leadership positions can finally admit that they were aware of what many of their colleagues were doing; that the culture of the priesthood that they were trained in actively ignored this problem and that the real ‘humiliation’ the Oregonian Provincial wrote about stems from the fact that he, or other Jesuits in leadership positions, knew about what was going on and chose not to do anything. Unfortunately, that was the ‘Best Practice’ that these guys chose to follow. Several years ago, I wrote Tom Smolich SJ, the then California Provincial, concerning the abuse uncovered in California. To my surprise, I received a reply which really was nothing more than a tepid apology and his feeling that God had ‘opened this door up for a reason’. I can also remember showing and discussing this correspondence with a Jesuit who I had deep respect for. Again, to my surprise, he stated that he ‘didn’t understand my anger or correspondence’. Sadly, this is the last time that I spoke to him. I don’t know if the publishing of these names will do any good. In many respects, I feel that the culture of secrecy that allowed these priests to continue their abuse has destroyed the trust and respect that I know I once had. I remain very conflicted. On one hand, I thank my family for the sacrifices they made in sending me to Jesuit institutions. In a submission that I submitted and was run through Xavier’s Alumni Magazine, I wrote of the Jesuits who played a profound role in my life and that of my uncle who was also a Xavier High School man. I feel it is an injustice to the memory of Vin Duminuco SJ, who I referenced, among others, in that submission, to see that he’s buried right next to Roy Drake, a confirmed pedophile, at the Jesuit cemetery in Auriesville. I condemn the Jesuits in leadership positions for knowing that the abuse was occurring and the ‘best practice’ they used was silence. Make no mistake, they knew. They employed legal arguments to shield their assets. Sadly, John’s letter again brings my anger to the surface. It raised the same feelings of disbelief when I took the time to read the legal briefs that outlined the Jesuit’s defense in the Alaskan sex abuse claims. If you’re not familiar with it, the Jesuits attempted to use the legal strategy of declaring schools and universities run by the Jesuits in the Province that oversaw Alaska as not being owned or operated as part of the order. Known now as the ‘Gonzaga Argument’, this desperate attempt to shield assets, as one editorialist wrote, is like arguing that Pontiac is not part of the General Motors Corporation. I hope that the release of these names brings closure to those who are conflicted about their faith because of this abuse. I know that it doesn’t for me. It just makes me angrier. Healing from this will only occur when these Provincials can finally admit that they were aware of what their colleagues were doing; that the culture of the priesthood that they were trained in actively ignored this problem and that the real ‘humiliation’ that one Provincial wrote about stems from the fact that he and other Jesuits in leadership positions, knew about what was going on and chose not to do anything.
The Valley Viewpoint 