Editor’s Note: The following is a guest post written by Father James Valladares, Ph.D.
“If you don’t read the newspaper, you are uninformed. If you do read the newspaper, you are misinformed.” (Mark Twain)
Very wisely and rightly it has been said: “Those who do not learn from history tend to repeat it.” This is particularly true of the worldwide sexual abuse of minors in the recent past, and especially by priests and religious.
Scholars point out that the incidence of abusing children or minors is no greater, and may be less, among priests than among Protestant clergy, teachers, social workers, sports coaches, and similar professions. But, it has been noted, Catholic clergy are more attractive targets for lawsuits because the entire diocese or archdiocese can be sued. And that is a legal liability of the Church’s hierarchical structure. Moreover, the expressions of outrage by many in the media are incited by an ulterior agenda, namely, discrediting the Catholic teaching on human sexuality, about which they are genuinely incensed.
On November 26, 2011, Pope Benedict XVI addressed the Bishops of the State of New York, who were on their scheduled Ad Limina visit. As expected, the Sovereign Pontiff began his meeting with a reference to his 2008 visit to the United States and sincerely commended the “conscientious efforts” to deal with the reports of clerical sex abuse. However, in a passionate and unequivocal quest for both truth and justice, His Holiness, hastened to add: “Just as the Church is rightly held to exacting standards in this regard, all other institutions, without exception, should be held to the same standards.” In other words, the unmistakable hope is that reports of sexual abuse in public schools, government, military, business, athletic, and other institutions should be pursued with equal vigour and due process. In doing so, Pope Benedict was merely reiterating what another courageous, outspoken and indefatigable protagonist for truth, justice and equality, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, once so aptly said: “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.”
Ever since he assumed the Pontificate, Pope Benedict XVI has been humble and honest in acknowledging that the pastoral burdens of bishops all around the world had been made heavier by the past sins and mistakes of others, including some clergy and religious. And so, he candidly urges one and all to continue to repair the past errors with openness and humility and so build a better future for all. This, as is patently clear, is incumbent on all in positions of authority and without exception. And so, with a view to ensuring the accuracy, impartiality and objectivity of an investigation, those chosen to assess a complaint must be, and be seen to be, independent of the authority concerned, the complainant and the accused.
For instance, in 2005, four men in their late 40s and early 50s came forward to accuse Msgr. Ray Hebert, a highly respected Louisiana cleric, of raping and molesting them decades earlier at a Catholic home for troubled teens. One man claimed that the priest had brutally raped him more than 20 times. Ironically, up until those accusations, Msgr Hebert was a highly esteemed cleric and his 53-year ministry was without blemish.
As can be expected, the media swooped on the fabricated ‘scandal’ (?!) literally tearing the revered cleric’s reputation to shreds. It was not until five years after the original charges – and a tsunami of media coverage – that the accusers’ lawyers finally acknowledged in court that “Msgr. Ray Hebert did not molest their clients.” As a matter of fact, the veteran priest had barely spent any time in the alleged home for troubled teens. “As Head of the Associated Catholic Charities, his occasional visits to home were merely administrative.” Defenders of the accusers now claim that the charges were a case of “mistaken identity.” “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.”
Similarly, Fr. Roger Jacques of the Archdiocese of Boston was rashly accused. Reportedly the accuser only surfaced with her charges after undergoing “hypnosis therapy” that claimed to have uncovered a “repressed memory.” The theory of “repressed memory” has been clearly and unequivocally discredited by leading memory experts in the psychological community. Incidentally, “hypnosis therapy” was also the culprit in the 1993 high-profile accusation against the late Joseph Cardinal Bernardin of Chicago. Months after Fr. Jacques was removed from ministry, the accuser radically changed her story about the nature of the abuse and, out of the blue, picked on another innocent scapegoat. Reportedly, and on proven evidence, one-third of the accused priests in the Archdiocese of Boston were falsely accused. “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.”
Dave Pierre is a journalist who operates the TheMediaReport.com, and an author of two books, Double Standard: Abuse Scandals and the Attack on the Catholic Church and Catholic Priests Falsely Accused: The Facts, the Fraud, The Stories. On one occasion, he explains, he chanced upon an item in the Los Angeles Times. It was a 3800-word piece on the front page about decades-old abuses that were alleged to have been committed by Catholic clergy in remote villages in Alaska. Very honestly, he confesses, “many of the stories were heart-wrenching, painful, and tragic.” However, months later, the shocking story of a Southern California teacher who may have molested as many as 200 children was buried on page B3. Adds Dave Pierre, “I soon began to notice a trend: the Times was often giving front-page coverage to stories about Catholic priests alleged to have committed abuse decades ago. Meanwhile, arrests of public school teachers for abuse happening today were often not reported or buried in the ‘news brief’ section.” “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.”
None can deny that the inordinate amount of media coverage of the sex abuse scandal has enabled the Church to eradicate the ‘filth’ (a term used by none other than Pope Benedict XVI) that infected it, to rid itself of an atrocious problem, and to emerge both purged and purified. Of course, the harm done to the victims is incalculable, and of this one and all are painfully aware, earnestly contrite and resolutely determined to blaze a new trail of transparency, trust and security. Stated differently, the universal Church has assiduously and tirelessly worked in the past decade to establish the Catholic Church and its agencies as the safest environment possible for children and young people. Much has been accomplished; and much more will be progressively done so as to ensure nothing short of the safest and most satisfactory results. Consequently, says Dave Pierre, “…any attempt to portray the Catholic Church as an insensitive cabal that is callous in disregarding the welfare of children is not only unfair, but untrue.” “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.”
“Treat others as you would have others treat you,” – so runs the Golden Principle as enunciated by none other than the greatest champion of truth and justice this world has ever known and who tragically died as a consequence of a vitriolic and conspiratorial campaign of baseless, contrived and warped allegations – Christ Jesus!
Justice is a virtue that prompts us to give to others what is legitimately due to them, and this is necessitated by the natural, moral and divine laws. The concerted and unrelenting pursuit of truth and justice ensure the value and dignity of any and every human being. “Just as the Church is rightly held to exacting standards in this regard, all other institutions, without exception, should be held to the same standards.”
With this in view, I am pleased to present Hope Springs Eternal in the Priestly Breast – Procedural Justice for Priests, Diocesan and Religious. It has truly been a labour of love and is the end result of intensive research, hours of candid conversations with scores of well-informed and honest persons, innumerable sessions of ardent prayer and a resolute determination that priests and religious will be accorded the procedural justice to which they are legitimately due as is every other human being. May truth and justice prevail!
The book is being published by iUniverse, Bloomington, Indiana, U.S.A.
Fr. James Valladares
Unit 2 Aluan Court
1 Ferguson Avenue
Myrtle Bank
SOUTH AUSTRALIA 5064
A Brief Review from the Winter Edition of The Swag:
HOPE SPRINGS ETERNAL IN THE PRIESTLY BREAST – Procedural Justice for Priests – Diocesan & Religious
The clergy abuse scandal has posed the greatest threat to the traditional understanding of the Catholic priesthood since the Protestant Reformation. Now, as then, the deadliest attacks are coming from within the Church. In an attempt to improve a system that allowed a small minority of the clergy to violate children and ameliorate the gross negligence of some bishops who recycled these predators, the American bishops instituted the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People in 2002. It is, unfortunately, doing the Church more harm than good.
In Hope Springs Eternal in the Priestly Breast, Fr. James Valladares shows how justice and charity have been violated by some bishops in dealing with accused priests. He examines the pertinent canons that guide the Church’s judicial system and finds that these are often ignored or wrongly applied. He provides true cases that highlight the injustice of the process and the agony of priests who have been subjected to the charter’s draconian mandates.
ISBN 978-1-46207-241-5
328 pages
Size 6 x 9
Soft Cover US$22.95 (US Amazon: $17.21) ; Hard Cover US$32.95 (US Amazon: $25.04)
Further details are available on http://jamesvalladares.com/
About the Author: Fr. James Valladares is a Catholic priest currently serving the archdiocese of Adelaide, South Australia. This is his forty-fourth year in the pastoral ministry – the first nineteen were spent in the service of the archdiocese of Bombay (Mumbai), India.
A graduate in Psychology, Fr. Valladares went on to secure a Master’s Degree in Educational and Counseling Psychology and a Doctorate in Marriage Counseling. For ten years he served as a Lecturer in Psychology at the under-graduate level at St. Andrew’s College, Bombay (Mumbai), India.
Four years ago, Fr. Valladares successfully concluded a post-doctoral Research Study on Psychology, Religion and Healing, strikingly demonstrating that ALL involved in the Healing Ministry are working together as a team, in God’s Providence, to eliminate a common enemy – disease; and to promote the ideal proposed by the Greatest Healer this world has ever known, Christ Jesus: “…that they may have life and in abundance.”
Some of his other published works include A Series of Sermons on the Sundays of the Liturgical Years (A, B, & C), and six booklets in the form of letters for young couples preparing for the Sacrament of Marriage, parents with infant children, adolescent children, and young adults.
Fr. James Valladares says
Thank you, Dorothy Stein and Liz F., for your candid and heart-warming commendation! Please do pass the word around so that others are duly informed as well – remember the well-worn adage: United we stand! This is imperative in our pursuit of the truth and the cause of justice to all, especially conscientious and committed priests. God bless you!
Dorothy Stein says
Fr. James has helped once again to open my eyes and the eyes of many to the other side of this story: the side about priests who are not victimizers but victims in every sense. As Dorothy Rabinowitz wrote, “There is no crueler tyranny” than to be falsely accused of such a crime just for the lure of money. The news media has been deeply irresponsible by not covering this side of the story. I have ordered your book, Fr. James, and anxiously await it. Thank you so much for your courage and sense of justice in and for the Church.
Liz F. says
I got my book rather quickly from amazon, but I am reading it rather slowly. There is so much wisdom (and my mind is so small!) that I decided to just read a little bit at a time and ponder what I have read. I am so amazed by the wonderful gift of the priesthood and this book has made me so grateful for all of the priests who have touched my life and my family’s lives. Thank you for this wonderful book, Father.
Fr. James Valladares says
Thank you, Jamil Malik! I am greatly heartened by your reassuring commendation of my book and concerted endeavour to pursue both truth and justice, especially with priests who are gravely wronged by false accusations and the lure of money. Thank you also for ordering a copy of my book. The facts and the figures will astound you. As Stephen L. Carter has rightly observed, “Should individuals fail to discern what is right and what is wrong, act on what one has discerned, even at personal cost, and speak out accordingly, then ‘The American dream, as a matter of fact the dreams of any human being – priests included – may crumble – and the greatness of our democracy along with it.'” So we have a communal and cogent responsibility to work together in a concerted effort to champion both the cause of truth and the cause of justice. Thank you once again, Jamil!
jamil malik says
I want to thank Father James for this honest article about the crisis in the Catholic priesthood. Father MacRae wrote about me in a great article called Accommodations In The Garden of Good and Evil. It was about how today’s culture takes the quick and easy road at the expense of our souls. What Father James has written here is another example. I have ordered a copy of his book because I have read that it tells the story of Father MacRae powerfully and with the force of truth. I have commented several times that I do not understand why Catholics are not shouting this story from he rooftops. Father James is a man of great courage with the integrity of a real priest.
Sarah says
Father James,
Thank you for writing this guest entry. I will spread the word about your most important work and book. May God bless your labors with abundant fruit for His kingdom.
Liz F. says
p.s. I found that you can read part of Fr. Valladares’s book on Amazon which I did and then I purchased it. I look forward to reading it!
Fr. James Valladares says
Thank you most sincerely, Fr. George David Byers, for your heart-warming commendation of my book and the passionate quest for both truth and justice for priests in general, but most especially for those wrongly and falsely accused. I am particularly grateful to you for your review, which will feature on Amazon.com. I am particularly heartened by the mounting band of supporters of Fr. Gordon MacRae. It is my earnest wish and sincere prayer that he is both acquitted and re-instated. To the other respondents I am truly grateful. It has been rightly said that God has two homes: one in heaven and the other in a truly grateful soul. Fr. James Valladares
Mother M.L says
Dear Father James,
Thank you for speaking the truth in love. Like the other hosts on this great blog you are giving others the other side of the Church, that of a loving Mother who cares for the good of all her children especially the falsely accused priests. Hope something positive will be done to this by the legitimate authorities.
It is my hope that the Holy Father will get copies of your books. This is crucial for the sake of justice in the Church. I am looking forward to reading them and spreading the word about your work of love for your fellow priests and the Church. We will find a way to get copies of your books from our Sisters on the other end of the world.
Be assured of our prayers for you, Fr MacRae and all the friends and supporters of truth and justice.
Asking your blessings and prayers!
Fr. Gordon MacRae says
Hello everyone. I am grateful to my brother Scott for helping me to post this comment. I am also most grateful to Father James Valladares for this terrific post. Over the last few days, I have read his book, Hope Springs Eternal in the Priestly Breast. I highly recommend it, and not only because I am in it, as is These Stone Walls. It is an extremely powerful presentation.
Father George David Byers says
Oooo-rah! Way to go, Father! You say:
TSW readers know that that rings true coming from you, Father, for, unlike many who would easily say that they are “for” justice, but back away instantly from anything which might compromise their neutrality in the face of injustice, you, instead, do not fear in the least to name names, making it all very personal, with no room for neutrality.
About those who won’t make it personal, even when having all the facts before them, I’m reminded of Revelation 3,16, in which our Lord says:
Some rationalize their “distancing” themselves from those who are oppressed, saying that they are gun-shy because of cases which have gone sour. But every case is different, and the cases of Father Gordon MacRae and many others couldn’t possibly be more radically diverse one from the other. To throw all cases into the same bucket with the seemingly reasonable attitude of “Let’s just wait and see,” is to take, as you have said so well, the side of the oppressor.
We note well that the Lord will send oppressors and those who side with them to a place they would rather not go, once they see it for what it is. Yikes!
If only more people would get a bit of fortitude, a bit of hope, upon seeing the wounds on the risen body of our Lord, and then even make a show of siding with those who are oppressed, making it easier for the more timid among us.
I hope to write a review of your tremendously helpful book on Amazon soon. Your work will bring hope to many. And we thank you for that, Father.
Liz F. says
Thanks, Father Valladares, for the reminder and the inspiration. Sometimes it’s so tempting to pull back and simply pray when it seems nobody is listening. You are so right that we must stand up and fight injustice on all levels. You have heartened me to continue to try to be courageous in my own little way.
Thank you for the excellent post and thanks for fighting injustice, especially in the area of falsely accused priests. We so desperately need our priests in this current climate.
God bless and keep Catholic priests!
Thank you to all of you priests for your love and service to Holy Mother Church.