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| Woman who says her son was abused by a priest reacts at the press conference |
To
say this is beyond outrageous is a mere fraction of the feelings of outrage (and disgust) it has generated in me. I’m sure that’s true for anyone that has even a modicum
of compassion and sense of injustice that survivors have been subjected to.
I’m not even
sure justice can ever be fully done. Even if survivors were able to successfully sue their
abusers and enablers for millions of dollars, the suffering survivors have had to endure cannot be undone with money. It will not help relive the pain so
many of them still feel even after
decades have passed. Watching the tears flow by survivors that surrounded Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro as he made that incredible revelation earlier this week brought fact that home for me.
It has occurred to me that the problem is very likely far worse than this story indicates. If there was over 300 abusive predator priest in just once state, what about the other 49? It is highly unlikely that it was only Pennsylvania had this problem. Can anyone even begin too imagine the numbers priests and the number of people that have been abused in the Catholic church?
The truth is that we don’t know. But we ought to find out.
In my view every single Catholic Archdiocese in America ought to open up their archives and allow law enforcement to examine it. If we are ever going to eradicate the plague of sexual abuse, this would be a good place to start.
I believe that as a civilized society that pursues
justice we need to go as far as we possibly can to achieve it. Even if we are
never fully achieve it, it is still our obligation to try.
What can be done?
Achieving justice is a tricky enterprise. Justice for one may end up being an injustice for another. One thing that survivors and survivor advocates have called for is to eliminate the statute of limitations on how long a survivor may sue their abusers and enablers. I have supported that but not without some reservations. While justice demands that the guilty be punished, questions arise about just how guilty an institution is.
Let us take for example a Yeshiva that had an incidence of sex abuse many decades ago that was mishandled (under a different administration, staff, parent and student body). They have not had any incidences of abuse since. They are diligent in protecting their students. They comply fully with authorities - reporting accusations of abuse immediately. Is justice for all being served by a successful lawsuit that would ruin them?
The reasons the Catholic church chose to handle cover up incidences of abuse was
to protect their reputation of the church. Which they deemed far more important than
healing the survivors. While this attitude has changed in recent years, it does
nothing for the survivors that were already victimized.
But the same thing is true for us.
What about us? We have surely had our share of sexual abuse
in Orthodox Judaism. Although I doubt that it is anywhere near the stratospheric numbers –
or even the percentage of the whole – that exists in the Catholic church. Nevertheless, it seems like every other day an incidence of abuse by an Orthodox has been reported. I have no
clue about our numbers. But they may be paltry compared to
the Catholic church. But they are not by themselves paltry. Whatever those numbers are, our survivors deserve
justice no less that those of the Catholic church.
If there is to be a call to action in the Catholic Church,
there ought to be one in our own religious sphere. The horrible fallout of past abuse and cover-ups
has been all too obvious. Depression; alcohol abuse, drug abuse, suicide, have
become all too familiar of a pattern for those that have been abused. As has the
almost certain by-product of a survivor going OTD. That is why I reluctantly support attempts
to allow at least a one year window of opportunity for justice to be served. Reluctant because of the example I cited above.
And just like I have called for an investigation of all
Archdiocese to ferret out all instances
of abuse and cover-up. I am reluctantly calling for the same in our own religious
institutions.
I am sure that a lot of very good people are opposed to this
type of investigation in our institutions. And for very good reason. Should we sacrifice the
many for the benefit of the one? A fair question. But one that must take into account
justice for a survivor whose life has
been ruined by that abuse.
Another legitimate objection is that the type of investigation could easily turn into a ‘witch hunt’. The anger generated by
exposing the degree of abuse in the Catholic Church will surely bias investigators
– no matter how objective they might believe themselves to be. They might bring with them a subliminal bias to see anyone
suspected of being an abuser to be guilty until proven innocent.
Witch hunts like this can be grossly unfair and counter-productive. But they too
have to be weighed against a denial of justice for survivors. Many
of whom have hidden their abuse for fear of being stigmatized for the rest of their
lives. Which would rub off on their family.
Although I lean in the direction of justice for survivors, it is difficult for me to clearly see which direction to take in order to
achieve what the Torah mandates for us in this week’s Torah portion: Justice,
Justice you shall pursue (Devorim 16:20). What path is the best one to take in order to achieve justice for all?
The only thing I can say for sure is that it has not in the past been
pursued vigorously enough for survivors of abuse. And that has to
be remedied if we are to live up to what the Torah requires of us.
