CASE
Study: Punishing the Victim
We are grateful
to the many correspondents who forwarded a Washington
Post story about the case of abuse
survivor Fr. James Moran . Fr. Moran is a member of VOTF
Northern Virginia. Bill Casey of VOTF Northern Virginia,
as appalled by Fr. Moran’s
story as anyone else familiar with it, has provided the
following documents (with permission from Fr. Moran) in
order to present Vineyard readers with a broader context
than the Washington Post was able to provide: a background
letter to the Vineyard from Bill Casey; a letter from Fr.
Moran to his hospital colleagues of eight years; and a
letter from VOTF Northern Virginia and Georgetown affiliates
to the Auxiliary Bishop of Washington, Bishop Kevin J.
Farrell.
Background information from Bill Casey:
Today the Washington Post ran a story about the shameful
treatment of one of our affiliate members by an auxiliary
bishop of Washington. Although it does justice to Jim's
abuse experience, it underplays (I think) the callous
and punitive treatment of Jim by the auxiliary Bishop
of Washington
(Kevin Farrell).
Fr. Jim Moran has been a member of our affiliate for the
past year or so. His story as a survivor of clergy
sexual abuse and his re-victimization by Cardinal Law and other
archdiocesan officials is recounted in his letter.
Although he is a priest of the Boston Archdiocese, Jim spent most
of his 34 years of priestly service as a military chaplain,
and for the last 8 years, as a chaplain at the Washington
Hospital Center (under the jurisdiction of the Archdiocese
of Washington).
As the letter explains, Jim received a medical disability
from Boston based on his abuse experience, and he was
scheduled to depart his chaplain position on May 31,
2006. At that time, the faculties issued to him by
the DC archdiocese were to expire because he would
no longer be in active ministry, although he plans
to continue living in Northern Virginia.
On April 11 (Tuesday of Holy Week), he explained in
his homily the reasons for his impending departure
and left copies of the following letter for the few
dozen people in attendance (colleagues and those under
his care). The very next morning (after the hospital
forwarded the letter to the DC archdiocese), a representative
of Auxiliary Bishop Kevin Farrell (diocesan point person
on the clergy abuse scandal) called Jim and told him
that Bishop Farrell ordered the immediate revocation
of his faculties and in effect "fired" him
at once from his position. No one in the hospital or
the archdiocese discussed any of this with Jim before
the call.
Jim is stunned by yet another round of victimization
by ecclesiastical officials, this time in DC. Since
then, the Boston Diocese (to its credit) is moving
up the date of his medical disability to ensure continued
income and benefits.
As we have learned only too well, clergy continue
generally to act without any accountability regardless
of how shamefully they behave, and lay persons have
so little leverage to alter their abusive decisions.
The leaders of our affiliate and those of the affiliate
at Holy Trinity parish in Georgetown sent a letter
to Bishop Farrell on April 21, objecting as directly
and forcefully as we could, to this egregious re-wounding
of a survivor and a faithful priest of some 34 years
of ministry.
What can only be described as tragic irony, the priest
who raped Jim was just arrested in Hull, Massachusetts,
for molesting a mentally-retarded boy who lived near
him. Anthony Laurano is retired from the Boston archdiocese,
is 81, and is awaiting trial on an earlier charge of
raping an 8-year old boy twice before his first communion.
Letter from Fr. Moran to his hospital colleagues dated
Holy Week, April 2006:
Dear Chapel friends,
On Holy Thursday we celebrate the institution of the
Eucharist as well as the Priesthood. In many parishes
the priests in the parish substitute the traditional "Washing
of Feet" with a Renewal of their Vows. This year,
for me, the celebration of Holy Thursday is bittersweet.
From May 1970 through May 1971 I was assigned as a
Deacon to serve an internship
in a parish in Roslindale, Massachusetts. In August
1970 one of the priests in the parish arranged
to take a teenaged parishioner and myself to a conference
in Connecticut. We stayed in homes of the priest's
relatives or friends. On the first night of that trip
the priest raped me. Two days later he told me he had
no remorse for what had happened, that I had "asked
for it," and that he used to come into my room at the rectory to watch me
sleep. On our return to the parish I reported the incident
to my priest supervisor. Nothing happened. I called
every rape crisis center listed in the yellow pages – no
one would talk to me because I was a male. In 1970
only women were considered to be victims of rape. Around
February 1971 I told the Seminary there was a "problem
in the rectory" and suggested no replacement be
sent for me. A replacement was assigned.
My only option was to "to live with it." I
did not, could not, tell my family. I've learned in
the past 4 years that my supervisor had been diagnosed
in 1957 with an adolescent psychopathic personality.
He had this "thing" for mentally ill teenaged
girls – and obviously was still "active" in
1970.
After retiring from the Navy Chaplain Corps (1997,)
I could not return to Boston. I had not at that time
been able to name my experience. I was assigned here
at the Washington Hospital Center on 1 February 1998.
From September to early November 2001 I experienced
a flashback to the incident and began therapy. By early
December I told my family for the first time. In January
2002 I tried to take it back to the Archdiocese of
Boston. It took the Cardinal [Law] five months to see
me. When we met there was no validation that I had
been a good priest, or was a good person. I told the
Cardinal that my biggest fear was that in not being
able to stop the priest, he went on to hurt others.
I was told there had been no other allegations against
the priest. At the time he was retired. My accusation
was investigated, and his faculties were withdrawn.
He tried to say that it was mutual, and that I had "asked
for it." The investigation also pointed out that
there had been at least two other allegations made – but
nothing was done. He is currently 80 years old and
preparing for trial for (allegedly) raping an 8-year-old
boy just before his First Communion fourteen years
ago.
Last summer I shared more detailed thoughts and reactions
with my family. My aunt and uncle, both in their late
seventies, commented, "It's a wonder you are still
a priest." In therapy I was dealing with my rationalizations
of staying in ministry. For nearly 35 years I've rationalized
that the little good that I can do would offset the
evil done to me. However, during the past four years
of the clergy abuse crisis I've seen more and more
cases of Bishops, Archbishops and
Cardinals covering up their actions of moving abusive
priests from parish to parish, and even diocese to
diocese.
The theology of "apostleship" is that the
one who is sent more than represents the sender – he
actually "becomes" the sender. With this
understanding, a priest is "sent" by the
local bishop to preach the Word. In essence we "become" the
bishop – and represent and stand for all that
they say and do. I can no longer "represent" these
bishops who are protecting things of this world (checkbooks,
stock portfolios, etc.) and ignoring the basic Christian
need to bring Justice and Reconciliation to victims. The bishops have pointed
the finger at abusive priests, and rightly so. However,
they have done NOTHING to look at themselves and take
responsibility for the evil they have brought to the
church.
The Bishop of Joliet, Illinois
gave a deposition last summer that was demoralizing.
He had no idea of the
number of priests who had allegations against them.
He had no remorse, nor took any responsibility for
moving predatory pedophile priests from parish to parish.
In the Archdiocese of Chicago last summer (August 2005)
a priest had an allegation of abuse raised against
him. The Cardinal assigned a priest to monitor the
abusive priest – but over Labor Day weekend the
monitor was away, and the abusive priest took three
teenagers on a weekend trip. The priest was not removed
from ministry until he was arrested in January 2006.
Unfortunately, there was another child abused in December.
The Cardinal of Chicago (George) was the primary composer
of the so-called "charter to protect children" that
the American bishops adopted in Dallas in June 2002.
Cardinal George did not follow the course of action
set out in the charter, nor did he follow the rules
of his own diocese. The president of the United States
Conference of Catholic Bishops has had an accusation
levied against him. According to the "Charter" any
priest who is accused is temporarily removed from ministry
until the accusation is proven to be credible or not.
Cardinal Skylstad has refused to step down. Dioceses
in the Pacific Northwest and elsewhere have claimed
bankruptcy, claiming that the diocese does not "own" their
parishes – so as to reduce the financial resources
of the diocese in assessing damages. They are more
concerned with the things of this world than they are
in simple Christian Justice.
If you cannot understand what a victim experiences
I highly recommend the movie "Twist of Faith." It
is an HBO documentary that was nominated for an academy
award. It was released on DVD in February 2006 and
is available through www.amazon.com for approximately
$19 plus shipping. It was shown recently to a group
of interested people. There were two of us as victims
who were with them. At the end, we were asked our opinion.
The other guy said, "Move it from Toledo to Philadelphia,
and that's my story." I said, "Change the
age from 14 to 25, and that's my story." It is
accurate and reflects well what a victim of sexual abuse experiences.
I am being granted a "medical disability" based
on chronic Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome and chronic
depression. As recently as December 2005 I dreamed
of the rape and actually "felt" the priest's
skin on mine. As for the depression, I disguise it
well – my "outgoing personality" is
a cover-up. According to my therapist, I've probably
been depressed since the rape (35 years ago) but since
there was no one to talk to about it, I believed I
was "normal." By nature I am very much a
loner – and an introvert. For me to be "outgoing" takes
a LOT of emotional energy.
Effective 31 May 2006 I will be leaving active ministry.
It is difficult to leave – I have loved serving
the church, but I cannot go against my conscience by
not standing up to the bishops in calling for them
to take responsibility.
Thank you for being supportive of me while I have
been here for the past 8-plus years. Please know that
you will be in my prayers as you care for the sick – and
I simply ask that you remember me occasionally in your
prayers as well.
God bless you all.
The April 21, 2006 letter sent to Bishop Farrell from
the VOTF Northern Virginia and the Holy Trinity/Georgetown,
Wash., DC affiliates:
April 21, 2006
Bishop Kevin J. Farrell
Auxiliary Bishop of Washington
P.O. Box 29260
Washington, DC 20017-0260
Dear Bishop Farrell,
The undersigned write to you out of a deep experience
of anguish, pain, and anger. We are aghast that you
ordered the withdrawal of Rev. James Moran's faculties
because he dared to speak truth in explaining to his
colleagues and others under his care why he is departing
his chaplain position at the Washington Hospital Center.
For the last eight years, he has faithfully and compassionately ministered to the sick and dying at the hospital.
Our rich Lenten tradition invites us to participate
in some of the deepest mysteries of our faith. One
of the most challenging is Jesus' call to repentance,
starting with naming the sin that thrives within each
of us. Fr. Moran dared to confront the truth in his
own priestly experience, including a vicious rape by
another disturbed priest in the Boston Archdiocese, an insensitive and
deceitful response to it by Cardinal Law and other
archdiocesan officials, and years of suppression of
those wounds within his own psyche.
When God's grace led him to bring those wounds to
the fore several years ago, he faithfully followed
the painful path and has begun to reclaim his inner
experience with the support of helpful therapists,
family and friends. In recent time, that path has forced
him to confront and name the sins of his abuser and
the enablers of the abuser. Seeking a medical disability based on his horrific
experience became the only way in which he could live
with integrity. And as with all survivors of sexual
abuse, telling and re-telling his story has led him
closer to a place of truth and wholeness.
Yet when he dared to name the truth of his experience
and the well-documented behavior of our institutional
hierarchy in order to explain his decision, you victimized
him yet again with a callous and punitive withdrawal
of his faculties just weeks before they would expire
upon the effective date of his medical disability.
How can your action square with any of the Gospel
stories in which Jesus only showed compassion to those
around him who were the most deeply wounded? When the
two disciples left Jerusalem for Emmaus, Luke's Gospel
describes them as confused, distressed, and with dashed
expectations. They lamented their wounds and woes to
a stranger along a 7-mile walk and did not recognize
that stranger as Jesus until he broke bread with them
later that evening. Luke tells us that Jesus listened
to them and explained how his recent passion, death
and
resurrection made sense even as they grieved their
lost hopes. The story never mentions that Jesus belittled
or punished them for leaving their faith community
behind and tending to themselves. Instead, he treated
them with care and compassion until they were ready
to understand the good news.
Even if you found his comments offensive (which none
of us do), you responded without compassion or sensitivity
to Fr. Moran's wounded experience. Instead you ordered
the withdrawal of his faculties and reopened the wound
to the rape he experienced 34 years ago as a deacon
and the rejection of his disclosure to Archdiocesan
officials in Boston not long thereafter. As with so
many survivors of clergy and other sexual abuse, Fr.
Moran bears lifelong wounds and pain, despite ministering
to countless Catholic faithful for nearly 35 years.
How
long will our Church leaders abuse the abused?
So we too participate faithfully in the Lenten call
to name the sin within us, individually and collectively.
We name what you have done to Fr. Moran as sinful and
in need of repentance. We claim this right as adult,
fully-initiated members of the faith we share, and
we pray that you will find a way to turn around this
sin and heal the additional wounding it has caused.
As we try to do the same with our own sins, we pray
for God's mercy and grace to heal us all.
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