I was in Chicago in the 1990s when this crisis first surfaced, and I know the torture that it gave to Cardinal Bernardin. ... We have struggled, we have experienced great distress. ... As an institution, regrettably, we didn't recognize the warning signs that were apparent at that time. We didn't make it a first priority, and we didn't mobilize our energies to address it.
I think now bishops know very well the pain that has been inflicted, the mistakes that were made. I sense among our bishops a very strong, clear signal that they will not let this happen again because for many of them, as it has been for me, it's a terribly difficult situation to know how best to act. You know the pain of the victim, you know the fallen and destroyed person of the priest. You know the family pain that has been experienced, and it's all these things that come at you. Plus, you're trying to be a father, you're trying to be a brother, you're trying to be a friend. You're trying to understand, to invite conversion, and yet [you are] realizing that some of these patterns are addictive, are repetitive, so I think it was a terribly painful struggle: a desire to protect the name of the Church, because of the need to speak forcibly and with integrity, and yet the fear that further children could be harmed. So there's just such a complexity of feelings, and the issues are so subtle.
I have met priests here who have offended -- and I didn't know any of them, so I had no personal relationship with them and, in some ways, it was somewhat easier because there was no emotional attachment. I didn't ordain them. I didn't nurture them along in the priesthood. I just came in as they were being accused. But if you look at these men, they're not all the same. Some are repetitive predators -- some perhaps extremely malicious, some very frail, damaged human beings, some with one incident that they totally regret [and about] which they feel great guilt and anxiety. The gamut of priests [is] so different. You're torn with all these struggles and I think, yes, we didn't recognize the warning signs. We didn't mobilize our energies. We didn't put this as a first priority, and that was a mistake.
How can you restore the love and trust?
When trust is broken, it's extremely hard to restore it. And I think the only way you can restore it is by persistent doing of what is right. For example, to be with victims of abuse, to offer apologies [is] probably one of the most humbling experiences that I've ever experienced -- to meet with someone whose life has been shattered and to say to them, "I'm sorry, I ask your forgiveness."
How likely will the Church change and become more open?
Here in the diocese I've encouraged conversation around two issues -- structures for the involvement of the laity and structures for communication, because I think they're both critical for restoring trust.
I'm chair of the subcommittee of the bishops' conference on lay ecclesiastical ministry -- the laity who are involved in the service of the Church. And it has been a wonderful learning experience to meet so many laity, to see the gifts that they have to bring to the service of the Church. And I think we do need to find larger structures for lay involvement.
Now we have some already mandated that if we were to take them seriously, I think, would make a difference. For example, here in our diocese, we have what's called a diocesan pastoral council [DPC], which I'm impressed by. Some diocesan pastoral councils are a waste of time. They're sound and fury signifying nothing. But, I must say, the DPC here -- and much is due to our previous bishop, [Manuel] Moreno, who gave a great deal of attention and time to it -- is quite a strong consultative body. They are not hesitant to offer their opinion. They are not hesitant to offer their advice, and their advice has been very helpful.
Every parish is supposed to have a parish pastoral council, mandated by canon law. Regrettably, not all of our parishes do, and one of the pushes that I'm making is to see to it that every parish has a finance council -- some laity to help advise the pastor on the finances of the parish. The pastor has to be transparent. He has to open up for the people what their monies are being used for.
Today, you just can't ask people for contributions. You can't just ask people to support what you're doing and not explain how the money is being used. I think that's one of the struggles for laity in the crisis. Some are very angry about the legal settlements that are being made. They're upset that their monies are being used for purposes that were not their intention.
I'm very open to meeting with any lay groups that are forming to try to understand better what would be helpful and how the Church could be more transparent. I think both of those areas are going to be very critical in terms of healing -- getting laity involved and being transparent as possible.
Recently we gave a very full disclosure of the financial cost to the diocese of the crisis. Some people say we shouldn't do that. Some people say it isn't right, but people should know what this is costing the Church.
There's nothing worse than when people feel deceived, when people feel put off, when people feel not included. I think people can take very hard information if it's said to them honestly and directly. And I think that's helpful in restoring trust.
Do you think some bishops need to resign?
Some bishops have resigned, and I think every bishop has made an effort to try to make sure that the mistakes that were made in the past will not happen again. ...
It's always hard to judge another individual, and I'm certainly aware of my own limitations and judgment and decision making, so it's hard to judge without knowing all of the specifics. But, again, I think it's very important that we be careful of imputing motives to people. If, in fact, a bishop maliciously and knowingly put children at risk, I think the bishop needs to look at whether or not he can continue to function, because if a bishop is to be a father, a brother, and a friend, if one is maliciously or flagrantly violating the responsibility of a father, one has to call into question their fatherhood. But I don't think that was the situation for bishops who were in very complex situations.
