CollegiumNewsSpring 2003 Volume 1/Issue 15 Sexual Abuse and Its Coverup Member Institutions Alverno College What can Catholic colleges contribute to understanding the crisis and Belmont Abbey College repairing the church and its victims? Benedictine University Boston College Campion College, In the part of the country where I live, and the Catholic moral tradition does have to University of Regina Catholic University of America certainly elsewhere, it is fair to say that the make to public life will go unheeded. Chaminade University abuse crisis and its cover-up have had a Sustained intellectual attention to the College of Mount Saint Vincent deeply harmful effect on the church. College of New Rochelle sources of the problem—from the perspec- College of Saint Benedict Church attendance is down, and people’s tives of many disciplines—would also be a College of the Holy Cross ability to trust in the hierarchical church is DePaul University tremendous service scholars can render. severely weakened. The bishops’ ability to DeSales University American media, who have been primarily Dominican University teach credibly on moral issues is clearly Duquesne University responsible for bringing the abuse story to diminished, as was evident in the run-up to Fairfield University public awareness, will be able to sustain Fordham University the war in Iraq. In the face of institutional- inquiry into it only as long as Americans’ Georgetown University ized moral failure so egregious, we are left Iona College attention span lasts. We may need to find John Carroll University to wonder about the credibility of other ways to continue to focus attention on King’s College moral claims from the same institutional Le Moyne College sources of the problem when the spotlight Lewis University source. It seems no exaggeration to say fades, or in other cases to help Catholics Loyola College in Maryland that the church in America faces its worst Loyola Marymount University and others find new ways to think about Manhattan College crisis ever. Marquette University the cause and solution to the problem Merrimack College The implications for Catholic higher educa- beyond some of the most common tropes. Niagara University tion, and for faculty committed to the Notre Dame de Namur University Further, at a time when a number of Providence College integration of faith and intellectual life, are bishops have been acting to prevent lay Regis University many. They involve our own ability to Rockhurst University people from organizing through organiza- maintain ecclesially grounded faith commit- Sacred Heart University tions like Voice of the Faithful, I hope that Saint Bonaventure University ments, to pass that faith on to new genera- Saint John’s University, Catholic campuses will offer to provide a tions, to explore in sustained ways the Minnesota venue for such meetings. At a time when Saint Joseph’s College, Connecticut sources of the crisis, to bring about appropri- some bishops are in defensive—or even Saint Joseph’s University ate reforms in the church, and to bring about Saint Mary-of-the-Woods offensive—modes, Catholic colleges and Saint Mary’s College genuine healing for victims. of California universities can make a tremendous Saint Mary’s University I believe that for some time to come, the contribution to the life of the church by Saint Michael’s College Saint Norbert College most credible voices for the Catholic moral making sure that the rights of the laity Saint Paul’s College, tradition will be persons who represent that under canon law are not further stepped University of Manitoba Saint Peter’s College tradition, but whose persons or offices are on. They can send important signals that Saint Thomas More College, not tainted by the scandal of sexual abuse even if some leaders of the church are not University of Saskatchewan and abuse of authority. Catholic scholars willing to confront the problems of the Salve Regina University Santa Clara University will often be in an especially important crisis, this failing is not the only attitude of Seton Hall University position to get a proper hearing for that the institutional church. Stonehill College tradition during the many years it will take Trinity College, D.C. Some Catholic universities and individual University of Dayton for the episcopacy to restore its own moral University of Detroit Mercy scholars have begun to take important authority. Scholars who know that tradition University of Notre Dame initiative on several fronts. University of Portland well can speak to the ways it still has great University of Saint Thomas University of San Diego contributions to make to American social Boston College, located at the epicenter of University of San Francisco and political debates. If Catholic theolo- the crisis, has launched the largest program University of Scranton gians and others fail to pick up this slack, I on any campus to explore the origins and Wheeling Jesuit University fear that the very important contributions implications of the abuse crisis. The series, 1 Cover Story (continued from page 1) entitled “The Church in the Twenty-First Century,” has Siena College held an April symposium called ‘’Trusting the included dozens of events under the aegis of the theology Clergy? The Churches and Communities Come to Grips with department and the schools of Social Work, Education and Sexual Misconduct,’’ while Le Moyne College in Syracuse is Law. These include expert panels, public forums, online coordinating a series of polls to study Catholics’ attitudes resources, alumni events and more. BC has provided other toward the church crisis. Psychologist Paul Dokecki of Catholics with an important place to turn for information Vanderbilt University is planning a graduate seminar, “Human and perspective. More information on this program is Science Inquiry Into Clergy Sexual Abuse.” available at: www.bc.edu/church21 At Holy Cross, I helped coordinate a series titled “Beyond Collegium alumnus Thomas Plante, (’95), Professor of Brokenness: Healing, Renewal and the Church.” It began Psychology at Santa Clara University, has made several with a national Catholic Common Ground Initiative important contributions. He edited a volume entitled Bless consultation composed of leaders in Catholic higher Me Father for I Have Sinned: Perspectives on Sexual Abuse education, bishops, scholars and selected laypeople, to Committed by Roman Catholic Priests (Greenwood, 1999), discuss precisely what our schools could do to respond to and is planning a new conference which and an edited the crisis. Most other events have been more simple, scholarly book. Details of this May 30 conference, entitled including student discussion opportunities, talks by Fr. “Sexual Abuse by Priests and the Role of the Catholic Donald Cozzens and Sr. Katarina Schuth, and a recent panel Church” are included later in Collegium News in the evaluating the media’s role in covering the crisis, featuring Conferences section. Peter Steinfels of the New York Times; Walter Robinson, whose Boston Globe ‘Spotlight Team’ received the Pulitzer Bruce Russett, (M’93, R’97) took the lead in organizing an Prize for breaking the abuse story in Boston; and alumnus outstanding conference in March at the Saint Thomas More Joe Bergantino of WBZ TV, who broke the infamous Father Catholic Student Center at Yale University. The two-day Porter case in 1994. That venue gave us a chance to appreci- conference, entitled “Governance, Accountability, and the ate the service the media has provided, yet also to think Future of the Church,” featured leading Catholic scholars, critically about where there may be opportunities for priests, Bishop Donald Wuerl, and Collegium folks like improvement, or shortcomings to be highlighted. Michael Himes (Sp’93, ’96, ’99) and Jim Heft, (Sp ’94) and Marcia Colish (R’97, Sp’99). In several recent conversations, Fr. Philip Murnion and Sr. Catherine Patten of the Catholic Common Ground Initia- Saint John’s University at Collegeville, which has had to tive (www.nplc.org) have expressed interest in finding undergo a painful process of self-examination and criticism institutional partners from among Collegium member over past abuse problems, developed a settlement process schools for developing other regional dialogues that would that has been hailed widely as a model for healing and help the church better understand and heal the crisis. restitution. In 1994 it founded the Interfaith Sexual Institutions that have the structural capacity to co-sponsor Trauma Institute, whose mission is to build “safe, healthy such discussions are encouraged to contact the Catholic and trustworthy communities of faith… through research, Common Ground Initiative to discuss it further. education and publication.” It sponsors “interdisciplinary seminars, conferences and seminary instruction [and] There is much to be done here, but let me express my develop[s] models of intervention, psychological and thanks to those who have started this work already, and spiritual healing, resitution and recovery of community welcome discussion with people looking for ways to trust in collaboration with such persons as survivors, further it. offenders, religious leaders and those in helping profes- -Thomas M. Landy sions.” More information about ISTI is available at www.csbsju.edu/isti. the spiritual in the evolution of human consciousness while Alumni/ae News simultaneously trying to keep the tension of discontinuity. She has a Ph.D. in Biology (1994) as well as a MA (1994) Stacey Ake (G’94) is now serving as the Assistant Editor of and a Ph.D. (1999) in Philosophy from the Pennsylvania Metanexus: The Online Forum for Science and Religion at State University. the Philadelphia Center for Religion and Science. She recently completed a semester as Visiting Assistant Profes- Kathleen Sprows Cummings (G’99) has been appointed sor in the Philosophy Department at Saint Vincent College Professional Specialist and Concurrent Assistant Professor in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, USA. In her philosophical work at the Cushwa Center for the Study of American Catholi- she is attempting to show continuity from the biological to cism at Notre Dame University, Notre Dame, IN.