Diocese of El Paso

Donate To Progress appeal 2019
Listen to the Bridge Radio LIVE!
  • About Us
    • Quick Facts
    • Diocesan Coat of Arms
    • Bishop's Coat of Arms
    • News & Events
    • Pastoral Center
    • Victims Assistance
    • Safe Environment >
      • Contact
    • Videos
  • PARISHES
    • Vicariates of the Diocese of El Paso Map
    • Mass Times
    • PARISHES
    • Historic Missions
    • St. Patrick Cathedral
  • Ministries
  • Vocations
  • Education
  • Foundation
  • Employment
  • 2019 Kermes
  • TCCB CATHOLIC ADVOCACY DAY 2019
  • Statement from Bishop Seitz to City Leadership
  • Border Refugee Assistance Fund

Removing the Dark Cloud of Abuse from the Church

8/31/2018

 
     I have been wrestling with the question of what to say about the latest set of abuse scandals to come out in recent weeks.  One of the reasons for my struggle is that I am dealing with my feelings of betrayal and disillusionment that such things could happen in the Church I love. Another is that I know these ongoing revelations damage the trust you have placed in all leaders in the Church.
     The issue of sexual abuse in the Church has been like a dark cloud hanging over the Church during most of the years I have been a priest.  During my seminary years I remained unaware that sexual acting out of any kind could invade the holy sanctuary of our seminary.  In years following my Ordination I would learn that a fellow seminarian, Rudy Kos, became one of the most notorious child abusers in his time as a priest.  
     In my Diocese of Dallas I learned how a disbelieving and defensive posture on the part of leaders could allow situations such as these to continue.  I also had the opportunity to know some victims of abuse.  In one case I had the honor of walking with her through many years and to seek with her a just response from diocesan authorities.  
     Since that time I have prayed daily and fasted weekly for victims of abuse. The pain of victims of abuse, especially abuse by someone who represents God in the Church, has moved me greatly. Many struggle for the rest of their lives with feelings of being unlovable, as though they are just an object to be used.  Their pain never completely goes away and their difficulty in relating to God and trusting anyone in the Church is a lifetime struggle.
     Arriving in El Paso five years ago I found that we were dealing with or had already resolved a number cases involving child predators.  None of them were recent and many no longer were eligible for prosecution. As cases became known we sought to identify victims and offer them any assistance we could.  We made sure that a zero tolerance policy was in place and that no one who had been credibly accused would ever have permission to be involved in ministry again.
     In our diocese we have been greatly assisted by the expert work of our Victims’ Assistance Coordinator, Susan Martinez.  She works alongside our Pastoral Review Board as a member of the Pastoral Response Committee, which is made up primarily of lay therapists who evaluate the claim and make recommendations regarding how the diocese can assist the victim, as well as what should be done with the perpetrator.  She will encourage the victim to report to authorities.  If the victim is a minor, she will report to the appropriate authorities. Susan has also arranged for me to meet with several victims when they requested. It has been a very heart-wrenching and moving experience for me.
       Most of the cases of which we become aware happened long ago, but we always seek to identify other possible victims.  Recently there was a credible case of abuse by a priest, Miguel Luna, which came to our attention.  He had been removed from active ministry some years earlier due to concerns we had about his behavior although no victim had come forward. When two courageous women came forward we had announcements made in all our parishes and also announced what we had learned in the media. In this way we could warn any new potential victims and invite any others to come forward.  As a result, a third victim came forward.  The statute of limitations had not passed for the third victim’s case, so Miguel Luna is presently being prosecuted.
      Another important step we have taken is our commitment to create a program of safe environment training to reach out to all children, diocesan and parish personnel, and volunteers active in the Church.  VIRTUS, as it is known, conducts criminal background checks on all volunteers and personnel and teaches children and adults, in an age appropriate way, how to recognize the signs of a potential abuser.  In just the last few years we have trained thousands. Our hope is that we will provide the tools not only to protect our parishes from the presence of child predators, but that we will also create safer homes and schools, which are the places where most abuse takes place.
      I am confident that on a national level the Church will continue to seek better ways to assure that no person, no matter their rank, will be above the law.  Meanwhile, here at home, we will continue to do all in our power to regain the trust that you have a right to expect from leaders in the Church.

Bp. Mark

James Kevin Richardson
8/31/2018 05:42:30 pm

Virtus training is a sick joke. The men, mostly priests and bishops, who abuse(d) boys, teens, and young men did not need training, formation, or discernment; they needed dismissal.
The real end of Virtus is the background check required before attendance. This is absolutely the basest CYA for the bishops, your lawyers and your insurance companies. God will punish you all for this misdirection of attention.
Bishops hide evil and evildoers, then require lay readers to take classes.
Pshaw!
You were the auxiliary for lying Cardinal Farrell- who wants us to believe he lived with McCarrick (who installed you as our bishop) for six years while he sodomized priests and seminarians AND KNEW NOTHING! So what did you learn as this enabler's auxiliary? Of course, you never knew a thing. You should resign for your lies or your utter incompetence!

Tina Gladden
8/31/2018 05:45:21 pm

Thank you got this letter. I am a convert and know that the wheat and the weeds are growing in the church from it's first days. I pray that peaople will not leave Jesus because of other people.

Bruce
9/9/2018 10:27:25 am

I appreciate the way you remembered the Gospel regarding the wheat and the tares. Years ago, I received summons-to-court to face false allegations, allegations that fortunately were not as serious as sexual assault. Still, I remember how I felt having to face a false accuser and a crowd of false witnesses. Fortunately, I was able to "prove my innocence in a court of law", something that is in great violation of Article 11 of the US Constitution, which is supposed to protect victims like me from false allegations through "Presumption of Innocence". Deep in my heart, I assume that most priests accused of grievous crimes are guilty as charged, however, I understand why bishops and other leaders have historically "turned a blind eye" whenever there is no evidence to back up the accusations of the accuser. I am not saying that I like the idea that a victim should be harshly interrogated at trial after all he or she has suffered at the hands of a perpetrator, but Article 11 Constitution is designed to protect both parties to a legal dispute, both the accuser and the accused. Sadly, most legitimate cases of priest abuse of minors originated before cell phones became popular and no real evidence can be gathered in which to put away terrible predators for good. Still, after my own experience in court with a very convincing, lying "alleged victim", I still think it is best for our society to give alleged perpetrators the greatest benefit of the doubt. Otherwise, we risk living in a police state where anyone can be prosecuted for crimes they didn't commit based solely on the testimony of false accusers, and that is how despots gain absolute power in their countries (Hitler, Sadam Hussein, or Stalin ring a bell?) , people willing to lie for the state. Truly observing the "Presumption of Innocence" as guaranteed by Article 11 of the US Constitution would result in many criminal getting away with their crimes, but do we really want to live in a society where anyone can be arrested on false pretenses? Isn't that the issue we currently face with ICE given the fact that migrants have human rights, not constitutional rights? we all deserve to be given the benefit of the doubt and I firmly believe that bishops (you Bp Mark, whom I greatly admire) and cardinals must resist the temptation to believe a "victim" over a "perpetrator" without compelling evidence. If I was a leader who was informed of possible abuse by a superior against a subordinate within my organization, I would probably do what some bishops have done, transfer the subordinate to another jurisdiction; I know people will want to attack me for holding that sentiment, but I have walked many miles in the shoes of a falsely accused! Only God has the right to pull up the weeds at the end of time because he knows the truth, we don't. Thank you for reminding us of that.

James Kevin Richardson
8/31/2018 05:52:19 pm

And please feel free to answer my letter with your actions anytime!
Until that is done, your words are mothing but insult upon injury!

Grace
8/31/2018 06:32:00 pm

God bless you for being so open, Bishop Seitz. I trust our beloved church will further develop as to how to select our future fathers, with help from the Holy Spirit. I hope any person from the laity and all the way throughout its hierarchy will sincerely and openly apologize and make amends for having offended against the very souls of her little children.

Andie link
8/31/2018 08:52:42 pm

It makes me sad to know and continuously hear about the sexual abuse of children by catholic priests. I am catholic and will die a catholic but I must admit I am having difficulty practicing my faith. I am a minister at my church and it does bother me that all who volunteer at church have to go through Virtus training when in reality the problem lies with the clergy. All these safe guards being put in place are due to their bad behavior and now everyone is paying for it. I am having a difficult time with all of this and O pray about it all the time.

James
8/31/2018 09:58:40 pm

Your Excellency,

The Viganò letter has shocked but not t entirely surprised us as a. church. Have you considered having a day of reparation and fasting in the coming weeks? Should we require that our Pastor’s have the congregation say the St. Michaels prayer at the end of each Mass? Have homilies on the importance of sacraments and the supernatural power of fasting and prayer! There is nothing the devil hates more than people in a state of grace fasting with prayerful intentions!

If you can implement this you are our good Shepard... if priests resist these small acts that give supernatural powers of grace then they simply don’t have what it takes for the spiritual warfare ahead of us.

Yours in Christ,


James

Martha Esquinca
12/5/2018 12:15:32 pm

A family member was abused by a priest in Cd Juárez. My mom, God rest her soul was devoted to God. She showed us that God was first above everything and everyone. She trusted the priest who was well known at the time. My mom passed away not knowing about the abuse. Since, then my family member repulses about the resent findings and even after being baptized and rases Catholic hates the church. I know it’s the enemy talking ..... So praying or sininging the St Michael s prayer would lift all the victims to forgiveness. One should dislike that hateful crime but not the person. I believe God is just.

bruce reed
12/6/2018 12:31:10 am

Thank you Martha for your insight. You are correct in seeing evil for what it is, the work of the devil and not necessarily the person who commits it; however, God gives us free will so there is no excuse for hurting other human beings. I am blessed to be able to call several priests friends and they are good and kind people but like the rest of us, by no means perfect. We all must remember that a priest is "person of Christ" on only two occasions, confession and consecration of the Eucharist during Mass, and that other sacraments, such as baptisms, performed by him prior to his removal from ministry are valid . We also need to remember that priests are also sinners outside their ministries, some more sinful than others. Maybe we need to stop worshipping our priests and turn our full adoration to God himself who is deserving of all our love. I must admit that I am very sorry to hear about what happened to you or your family at the hands of a corrupt priest.

Sylvia
8/31/2018 10:28:12 pm

What would Jesus say and do if He we're here today, the Church that Peter was given has fallen way off the mark. A day of reconning will come to the men that have abused the innocent and their enablers. May Our Good and Gracious Lord have mercy on us.

Bruce E Reed
10/18/2018 11:56:14 am

Remember... Peter denied Jesus three times after he was given the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven. Only Christ himself and his Blessed Mother are the only two "true man" (humans) who can honestly claim to be sinless. Jesus readily forgave Peter after asking him three times, "do you love me?" Seems like an extremely reasonable penance to me. Likewise, I hope that Jesus will forgive his Church. As I mentioned in other posts regarding our bishop's letter, pedophilia is not unique to the Catholic church but can be found in other denominations as well as in our secular institutions, such as our public schools. What makes pedophilia especially heinous is the fact that the Church is supposed to represent all that is good, the Church of Christ as given to Peter, our first Pope. I also mentioned in prior posts the importance the value of presuming the innocence of the accused according to the US Constitution lest we find our society fall into the hands of dictatorship. We truly live in a sinful world and I don't envy our dear Bishop Mark, or any other prelate that has to figure out how to protect children while also protecting the rights of the accused. Thank God I am a Lay minister!

CARLOS A LOYA
9/1/2018 01:06:35 am

Your Excellency, i'm very grateful that you've now addressed it. i was in the process of sending you a written letter so this now saves me that effort. i thank you. by "it", i presume you know i refer the worst crisis in American Catholic history.

we all know about the 2002 Boston sex abuse scandal. i've known about the book "Goodbye, Good Men: How Liberals Brought Corruption into the Catholic Church". i knew of the 2004 report by the John Jay College for Criminal Justice concluded that sexual predators in the Church accounted for < 4% of the clergy. i also was aware that there's no institution, public or private, that has less of a problem of the sexual abuse of minors than our Holy Church. i still wasn't prepared what was to happen.

when i heard the McCarrick news, i was disappointed to see that scandal had reached the hierarchy of the college of cardinals. all the while, i was prepared to what was about to happen.

when i heard about the DA of Pennsylvania releasing their Grand Jury Report, i had dismissed it as being another attack on our Holy Church. i dismissed it as being "old news". i realized almost all the accused were either dead or already thrown out of the Church.
in the next few days, as i became more aware of the GJR details, it had rocked my faith. i was shocked. i was disgusted. i became depressed, then angry, and finally defiant. this led me to miss Sunday mass at my normal parish at the normal time. it was that big. i eventually felt compelled to fulfill my obligation in the afternoon reluctantly but my fervency was gone.

then the third bombshell fell. the allegations of Viganò. he was really calling them out. this was once the top-level diplomat of the Holy See. then Secretary General of the Vatican City! Bishops have known and respected him as a man of truthfulness, faith and integrity. he is a "highly respected individual who had been regularly promoted for doing his job well". and there is no reasonable and plausible cause to doubt the truth content of the document. Seeing Fr James Martin on the list was no surprise as he's been affirming homosexual activity regularly.


i don't endorse anyone leaving the Church. this is the Church that Christ Jesus himself had founded. i realize most people allow emotion, not reason, to guide one's perspective. the Catholic Church is the best chance we've got to making it into the eternal kingdom. we need to pray for patience, fidelity, obedience, and sanctity for all in Christendom; clergy and laity.

this crisis is going away anytime soon. for the time being, there's needs to be unity. we shouldn't be taking sides.
i cannot bring myself to denounce the ex-nuncio's letter. and none of us have the right to call for the resignation of our Pope.
that would be the worse course of action. it would bring down the moral credibility of the papacy. critics of the Holy Church would like to weaken its moral authority. they want to discredit its voice.

DiNardo is right. allegations must be proven. it demands an urgent investigation. and i pray for the wrongly accused. perhaps it's no coincidence that today is the feast day of St Raymond Nonnatus.

Your Excellency, my intention isn't virtue signalling. you are the pastor of this flock. you are our protector from the wolves. you are our voice to the Conference of Bishops. i plead. please. wherever it leads, we should start the investigation.

our children's eternal lives are stake. i say that because their faith hangs in the balance. salvation can absolutely be lost. good priests lead us to sanctity. they steer the ship, the nave. but it's seminarians that are being targeted & abused. the Church needs to be cleaned of all evils, particularly the "homosexual cliques and networks" in the curia. those who have same-sex attraction have a tough time managing their tendencies as it is. the pederasty must stop.

it calls to mind Bella Dodd. as i'm sure you're aware, she testified before the U.S. House that Communists had 1,100 men put into the priesthood in order to destroy the Church from within. this was Homosexual Infiltration on a grand scale. i'm also reminded of the "errors of Russia" that Our Lady of Fatima had warned us about. i'm almost haunted by the vision of Pope Leo XIII with the destruction of the Church. i say almost because i trust in the Lord's providence. by the way, we should really bring back the tradition of reciting the St. Michael prayer after Mass...the one he wrote & strongly recommended.

Most Reverend, you promote the greater good. you unify, coordinate, encourage, and influence for us. our future Church needs fidelity, accountability, and transparency.

Larios link
9/1/2018 11:29:34 pm

Vigano 🤔, what is the real reason for the publication of his report and direct accusations to the Pope? To deeply harm the already in pain Universal church? Does he really love the Church, is that what the Holy Spirit inspired him to do 🤔. His actions are contrary to Jesus’ actions. Do you ever wonder the many reasons for Pope Benedict’s resignation? Do we realize how difficult it is to reform the Vatican? St Pope John Paul II, gave up on it, and focus on evangelization. Not to mention John Paul I, he is the one that started the internal revolution, but didn’t live long. The point I am trying to make is, the church is no different than any other organization in the world, As long as there are humans running it, there will be error, sin, decepción, etc, etc, etc. We, Christians/ Chatholics, can not and should not put our trust on a human been or an institution BUT only in God our Father. This is the “only “ way we will never fall victims of Satan’s doing. Jesus’ message to St Faustina: Jesus I trust in you”. Get it?

James Kevin Richardson
9/2/2018 12:23:42 am

Larios, good, shoot the messenger. The criminal sex trafficking in the Pennsylvania GJ report and abuse of power found in the testimony and corroborated by others who were privy to the events were not the real problem in Church hierarchy. The real problem must be that someone who saw something said something. You're sick.
Jesus did not tell Faustina "say you trust in Bergoglio."

James Kevin Richardson
9/2/2018 09:14:24 am

Just for the fun of it, let's try on the motto "deeds above words."
Even better for you, bishop, this "deed" is really nothing but words.
Those of you in, or entering, the Church at the time will recall what the prelate of the diocese of Boston did when the wheels of secular justice came too close fir comfort; he bolted for Rome and was thus allowed to escape any adverse action.
So now, many years later, the Star/Villain of the Pennsylvania Grand Jury Report suddenly disappears from view.
I would invite you, Bishop SEITZ, to join your voice with those of your brother Bishop's Club members and publicly call for Pope Francis to order soon-to-be EX-CARDINAL WUERL to remain in the US and submit himself to secular justice.
I would invite you to join your voice with those of other Bishops, but for the fact that I see no evidence of any of you stepping up.

S.A.
9/4/2018 11:01:17 am

Most Reverend Bishop Seitz

I hope my letter mailed to you was one of many received from Catholics in El Paso area requesting more action from our Bishops. As mentioned in Ave Maria Radio, the Catholic laity is being called to write to their bishops and show we are a force to be reckoned with and we want answers, action, and justice.

I thank you for your blog on the issue of predators within our Church. Please request all catholic churches print your statement and to distribute in all parishioners attending all Sun (Sat eve) mass services. Not all parishioners have my parish app or log into the diocese website. Your statement on this important issue needs to be shared with the catholic laity.

Action is needed. Let the justice system investigate. Allow transparency. All who committed a crime and those who provided cover up should answer in a court of law. No exceptions!!!

Blessed Mother pray for us.

Bruce Reed
10/18/2018 12:15:48 pm

Your correct that everyone accused should "answer in a court of law", that is our constitutional right. Put yourself in the position of bishop of a diocese. Would you defrock a priest without substantial evidence of wrong doing? It is always easy to react to hindsight but what would you do in such a situation if you had no concrete proof at the moment? Would you strip a priest of his vocation and his livelihood based entirely on an accusation? How would such a priest support himself? Certainly he would not be working at Walmart or anywhere. Criminals who abuse children including pedophile priests should rot in hell as far as I am concerned, but what about those who are falsely accused? I know I asked, "what would you do?", but honestly, I am not sure what I would do myself. I myself have been hauled into court to face false allegations that are far less serious than this and I remember how awful is was to have to prove my innocence "in a court of law" (Thou shall not bear false witness"). For what it is worth, I think the bishops who transferred priests from one parish to another did the best with the information they had at the time, which was virtually no information at all. Now, with VIRTUS, lay ministers are trained to spot pedophiles who are ordained ministers or Lay ministers. Not ideal, but is a good start.

Josh wilson
9/5/2018 08:15:22 am

Bishop Seitz

Thank you so much for being our great community leader. I believe as well as everyone such as James, we should pray Saint Michael the Archangel prayer at the end of each mass.

Thank you Bishop Seitz and all your clergy.

James Kevin Richardson
9/27/2018 01:38:28 pm

VIRTUS was created by a "Catholic" insurance interest for the purpose of providing fiscal (financial) protection for dioceses. It does nothing to better screen seminarians or postulates during formation. It may, may, make parishioners better at spotting abusers (priests) in action, but it does nothing to thin the ecclesial herd of homo- predators.
From all available evidence, the bishops still have no intention to address the true crisis in the Church; rampant dissent, by laity and clergy, from the teaching on human sexuality. All any of them wants to do is avoid financial disaster.

Samantha
10/17/2018 02:45:29 am

This is why I left the church. The abuse has been allowed to happen for decades, all around the world. For a long while, the child molesters have been protected by high ranking officials. A message to those who have harmed children and those who protected the abusers: you need to repent and beg God for forgiveness. You need to leave the church, you're giving the GOOD Catholic people a bad name and they do not deserve that.

James Kevin Richardson
10/17/2018 07:09:33 am

Samantha,
If, as you say, you have left the Church, I would beg you- for the sake of your soul- to return to Her. The Church we see everyday is yet another (often) well-meaning organization of sinful men and women. The Church, as Jesus and Mary see us, is something eternal; the Spotless Bride of Christ, which He has prepared for Himself.
Don't let Satan's influence- even rule- over so many rob you of the Grace in the Sacraments. The Sacraments are Jesus' gifts to us in the Church Militant. We are called militant because here and now, we must fight the evil in the world and the Church.
Christ died for us.
Christ established His Church (and no other can claim to be established by Him)
Christ entrusted His Church to Peter.
It is only through THIS Church- flawed as many if us are- that Salvation flows through the graces of the Sacraments.

I'm not a priest of theologian, nor do I attempt to make excuses for those who have participated in this abuse world-wide. But what the whole Church needs is holiness in her parts. Jesus calls us all, but He calls us to His Church, He calls us from our sins, and He calls us to be one with Him.
Please come home.

Bruce
10/17/2018 02:34:19 pm

Samantha,

It is truly heartbreaking to hear that you left the Church. Sadly, sexual abuse of children can be found within our schools, churches of various denominations, and even within our families. We are all sinners, some more so than others, so there is absolutely no excuse for harming the most vulnerable and innocent as our children. Again, our society needs to be protected against dictatorship, where people can be arrested and disappear simply based on  unverifiable accusations. Having served in the military, I can tell you that the leadership of some countries can make entire families disappear without due process. In America, we  all deserve our day in court. Following our constitution, inevitably some criminals will get away with their crimes but it is still best for our society at large to protect our presumption of innocence. I am so sorry about what happened to you. I really mean it! Without proof of any criminal action, people should not be stripped of their vocation and livelihood, nor should they be incarcerated for crimes they didn't commit. If I was responsible for subordinates accused of heinous crimes which I was unable to substantiate, I would probably transfer the individual in question to another location after contacting law enforcement, not to continue the abuse, but to protect the constitutional rights of the accused.

Jessica Lea
1/27/2019 08:42:26 am

Cardinal Dolan will not denounce Gov .Cuomo personally for his extreme abortion law but is quick to condemn POTUS over immigration law (enforced by Obama).
What happened to God's law?
This is sickening. Only proves how corrupt and convoluted our church is. We need to drain the swamp in our Catholic church too. Its obvious who you show allegiance to....man and not God. A lot of us see right through you. We will continue to pray for you and the evil that lurks in the hierarchy of the church. May you open your hearts to the truth. May you stand up and stand for the truth. We stand behind Vigano.


Comments are closed.

    Archives

    August 2019
    December 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Catholic Diocese of El Paso
499 St. Matthews St
El Paso, TX 79907
Phone: (915) 872-8400
Fax:
(915) 872-8411
info@elpasodiocese.org