A letter from Bishop Fliss on the sexual abuse crisis

July 3, 2002

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

DAs you all know, this has been a trying and critical time for our church. The sexual abuse of children and young people by some priests and bishops, and the ways in which some church leaders have dealt with these terrible acts, have caused pain, anger and confusion among many in our faith community. I hope that this message may assuage some of that anger and confusion, and also help begin to heal the pain.

These abuses which occurred in past years, and the revelations that have come forth in recent months, have strained the bonds of trust that should unite us as Christians. Indeed, the abuse of a child stands in complete contradiction to everything our Savior teaches us and everything his church is called to be. Let there now be no doubt that we bishops clearly understand our obligation to protect the young. We are well aware that our duty to prevent sexual abuse flows from the mission and example given to us by Jesus Christ himself, in whose name we serve.

From the depths of my own heart, I express my great sorrow and profound regret for the suffering endured by the victims of this abuse, their families and our Catholic community.

As our Holy Father reminded us in his Address to the Cardinals of the United States and our conference officers earlier this year, the sexual abuse of children is "by every standard wrong and rightly considered a crime by society; it is also an appalling sin in the eyes of God."

I have been humbled by a deeper understanding of the terrible pain inflicted on some of our most vulnerable parishioners by some of our fellow clergy. The sinful and criminal acts of a few among us certainly diminish us all. At the same time, as St. Paul reminds us, "where sin has increased, grace has far surpassed it" (Romans 5:20).

Therefore, I would be most remiss if I did not also acknowledge the Lord's true work being done every day by the faithful and dedicated priests in our diocese. Their devoted and tireless service to Jesus Christ and his church and that of all the clergy across our country should not be lost in our righteous efforts to bring offenders to justice and prevent these terrible acts.

The bishops in the United States have been working to prevent this scourge of abuse especially through the creation of the Ad Hoc Committee on Sexual Abuse in 1993. But as we have candidly examined these issues, most recently at our national meeting in Dallas, it has become painfully clear to us that our response to these abuses in the past has not been adequate. We have failed in part by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. Nevertheless, by examining our failures -- painful as that process may be for all of us -- we pray that we have gained the wisdom we now need to initiate a forceful and united effort to resolve effectively this terrible evil of sexual abuse of children and young people.

It is my sincere hope that with the bishops' agreement in Dallas on the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, we can now begin anew -- with faith in the future and a renewed commitment to combat these abuses with all our collective might. The heart of this Charter calls for the permanent removal from ministry of any cleric who, in the past, present or future, sexually abuses a minor. In our prayers and deliberations on this matter, we recall the words of our Holy Father that "there is no place in the priesthood or religious life for those who would harm the young."

Through this Charter, we bishops renew our determination to provide safety and protection for children and young people in our church ministries and institutions. We pledge ourselves to act in a way that manifests our accountability to God's people and to one another in this grave matter. We commit ourselves to heal the wound that the whole church has suffered; and we acknowledge our need to be in dialogue with all Catholics, especially victims and parents, around this issue.

For a full text of the Charter, please visit the bishops' conference web site http://www.nccbuscc.org or contact my office at 715-392-2937 and we will provide a copy. Below, however, you will find the primary goals we intend to achieve through this Charter:

* To Protect our Children

* To Promote Healing and Reconciliation with Victims

* To Guarantee an Effective Response to Allegations

* To Restore Trust in the Priesthood

* To Ensure Our Own Accountability

But we clearly understand that the words of the Charter alone cannot do it. The restoration of trust and fellowship will result from our actions, and we pledge to you action worthy of our words.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

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© Superior Catholic Herald, 2002