1. Abuse is never a child’s fault, a point that children need to hear over and over again. Offenders try hard to make children feel complicit in the abuse or to blame them for the abuse. Children learn that that is never true! The blame always belongs to the adult who is taking advantage of a child’s trust and vulnerabilities.

2. God loves children forever and wants them to live holy and happy lives. If a child has been abused, that child learns they are still innocent and loved by God and their families. The shame of child sexual abuse needs to be put where it belongs: on the abuser.

3. Abuse that has happened should be reported. Children learn to tell a parent or another trusted adult if someone is hurting them and to keep telling until they are believed. One study shows that children tell of their abuse an average of nine times before someone believes them. Parents can help children learn whom they can trust by pointing out the adults who can be trusted. Parents can also teach children the correct names of private body parts. This simple step gives children the vocabulary to tell others what happened to them.

4. You can recognize abuse when it happens. Children learn to trust that feeling that says something isn’t right and to tell a parent or other trusted adult when something happens that makes them feel uneasy. Children learn to question if someone is telling them to do what the child doesn’t like but says it is because he loves the child. Children learn to tell parents or trusted adult if another person makes them sad or confused or tries to get them to break rules. This can stop the process of grooming by which an abuser lures a child toward danger. A child who questions another’s inappropriate behavior can send a message to the offender that this child is not an easy target, but one that will tell what is being done to him/her.

5. There are ways to spot a grooming process. Offenders are willing to spend a great deal of time grooming the family, the child and even the community so they may be seen as a trusted family friend. Children learn that anyone who lets children break rules, gives them alcohol or shows them pornography needs to be reported to parents and other trusted adults. Children learn not to keep secrets from parents. They learn that they should tell parents when someone gives them special gifts or is always touching them or tickling them and says not to tell.

6. Parents or other trusted adults will talk about this subject. Children often try to protect their parents from bad news, so they need to learn they can tell their parents anything. This lesson is conveyed when parents stay involved in their children’s activities and talk with them about what is happening in their lives. This is how children learn what can be shared with parents. The more effective safe environment programs include parents in the learning process. This gives the child a clear signal that this subject is not off limits but instead is something to be talked about with family members.

7. Boundaries exist. Learning about personal boundaries can protect children and their knowing boundaries reinforces the teaching to listen to one’s instincts. Children who listen to the voice that says, “This doesn’t feel right,” can protect themselves.

8. Children can stand up for themselves. Children need to be respectful and obey, yet at the same time need to know there are times when it is okay to say no to an adult. Children learn when it is appropriate for them to say, “No, stop doing that.” For example, they hear they can say no to someone who makes them uncomfortable, shows them pornography, or offers them alcohol.

9. There are ways to explain inappropriate behavior. Children learn how to describe what’s happening when someone is doing something that just seems a “little weird” even though it may not seem wrong. The ability to articulate what has happened to a child enables a child to more easily confide in a parent or other trusted adult. This can alert the adult to a potentially dangerous situation so it can be avoided. This is ultimately the goal of safe environment education.

Find more information about child protection and victim assistance in the dioceses of Pennsylvania at pacatholic.org.

“Marriage between a man and a woman is the bedrock of any society. The misuse of law to change the nature of marriage undermines the common good,” Cardinal George said. “It is tragic that a federal judge would overturn the clear and expressed will of the people in their support for the institution of marriage. No court of civil law has the authority to reach into areas of human experience that nature itself has defined.”

Joining Cardinal George in his criticism of the court decision was Archbishop Joseph Kurtz, Chair of the Ad Hoc Committee for the Defense of Marriage. Archbishop Kurtz noted that “Citizens of this nation have uniformly voted to uphold the understanding of marriage as a union of one man and one woman in every jurisdiction where the issue has been on the ballot. This understanding is neither irrational nor unlawful,” he said. “Marriage is more fundamental and essential to the well being of society than perhaps any other institution. It is simply unimaginable that the court could now claim a conflict between marriage and the Constitution.”

LEARN MORE ABOUT MARRIAGE

Pennsylvania Catholic Conference

Marriage: Unique for a Reason

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

The adoption process is a major undertaking, emotionally and legally. Some birth mothers want to maintain contact with their children; some do not; and some want to reserve the right to decide later. Sometimes years later siblings want to learn more about their brother or sister who was adopted. The legal process for adoption should safeguard the interests of all parties involved; but the current law in Pennsylvania could use some improvement.

The Pennsylvania Catholic Conference is supporting Senate Bill 1360, revising the Adoption Act, as it significantly improves services for those involved in the adoption process. The bill has two key components. First, it recognizes and establishes procedures for voluntary open adoption agreements, whereby a prospective adoptive parent can enter into a voluntary agreement with a birth relative of a child to permit continuing contact between the child and a birth relative.

“Some children who are older refuse adoption because they feel it’s disloyal to their birth parents that they still see,” says Kelly Bolton, Director of Adoption Services in Harrisburg. “This helps children say it’s an ok deal because their birth parents are on board.”

Under the legislation, all parties involved must consent to having contact. Bolton also added nearly all adoptions from birth facilitated by Catholic Charities of Harrisburg have some form of contact between the birth parent, adoptee and adoptive family.

The second part of the bill streamlines procedures for accessing adoption records and directs DPW to establish a statewide confidential registry for the receipt, filing and retention of medical and social history information and authorization forms for all adoptions finalized or registered in Pennsylvania.

Adoption services in Pennsylvania follow a confidential intermediary system. An intermediary is a person certified by a judge to search for adoption information upon the request of an adoptee. Under current law, only adoptees can request information. The revision allows for increased access so that birth parents and other relatives of the parties involved, like siblings, may also request information.

In recent years, we have heard disheartening statistics showing an increase in abortions taking place in the state of Pennsylvania. A life-affirming alternative to abortion is adoption. By working to improve the adoption process, we may help more mothers see adoption as a viable choice for their children.

The Pennsylvania Catholic Advocacy Network is urging state senators to support SB 1360. Visit, call or write your state senator, or log on to www.pacatholic.org/current_issues/catholic-advocacy-network/ to join the Advocacy Network and send an e-mail message.

PCC advocates many life and dignity issues as well as Catholic education, religious liberty, marriage and family, social justice, health care, and faith. When you sign up for the Advocacy Network, check any and all of the categories on the sign-up screen to receive updates on each of them. Join us, be heard, make a difference.

August 2010 PCC Column written by Kassandra Meholick, who lives in the Diocese of Harrisburg. She is a senior at Kent State University in Ohio and just completed a summer internship with the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference.

The launch comes with the release of the first of five videos. The first video is called Made for Each Other and includes a Viewer’s Guide and Resource Booklet. It explores sexual difference and the complementarity between man and woman as husband and wife in marriage. Later videos will treat the good of children, the good of society and what constitutes discrimination, religious liberty, and issues particular to a Latino/a audience.

“The Committee’s efforts are grounded in the recognition that marriage, as the union of one man and one woman, is at the heart of a flourishing society and culture,” said Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, Kentucky, chairman of the Committee. “The truth of marriage lies at the very core of a true concern for justice and the common good. Promoting marriage is crucial to the New Evangelization. These initial materials seek to provide a key starting point, a compass, for assisting Catholics and all people of good will in understanding why marriage is and can only be the union of one man and one woman.”

The DVD, guide, and booklet are intended for use by priests, deacons, catechists, teachers and other leaders. Potential uses include instruction for young adult groups, adult faith formation, and seminary and diaconate education. Materials are online at www.marriageuniqueforareason.org and are available for purchase through www.usccbpublishing.org.

Archbishop Basil M. Schott

The Pennsylvania Catholic Conference (PCC) is saddened by the news that Metropolitan Basil M. Schott, Archbishop of the Archeparchy of Pittsburgh, died on Thursday, June 10, 2010.  He will be laid to rest next week.

As the leader of one of the 10 Catholic dioceses that comprise the PCC, Archbishop Schott was a member of the Board of Governors.  After many years of service to Byzantine Rite Catholics and to the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference, he will be sorely missed.

More information about Archbishop Schott and the Archeparchy of Pittsburgh is available at www.archeparchy.org.

Young people or adults who experienced sexual assault years ago are finding their feelings of pain, anxiety and anger intensified with every revelation and commentary in the media. That information is necessary to be brought into the light of day, but it is emotionally hurtful to victims nonetheless.

Victim assistance coordinators of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia report a surge of calls from victims or their loved ones at present. Any victim experiencing renewed intensity of pain and depression must know that he or she need not carry that heavy burden alone. Archdiocesan victim assistance coordinators (call 1-888-800-8780) are ready to provide confidential support or simply listen to one’s strong emotions and concerns.

Or the coordinators will readily refer a person uncomfortable speaking with a representative of the Church to non-religious organizations throughout the region such as the Network of Victim Assistance in Bucks County (call 1-800-675-6900). Counselors walk with the victim or loved one to help him or her deal with their feelings on an ongoing basis with empathy and compassionate care.

The current revelations of sexual abuse should elicit from all the Catholic faithful a stronger sense of compassion for victims. They are members of the body of Christ who need their fellow Catholics’ compassion and understanding. As Cardinal Justin Rigali cited St. Paul on Holy Thursday, “if one part of Christ’s Body, the Church, suffers, all of us suffer.”

Extending genuine compassion * literally, to “suffer with” * to victims of sexual abuse and those who care for them testifies that we are truly an Easter people, a people of hope and the strength to love. Even amidst experiences of immense suffering, Easter “is all about new life,” the Cardinal said on Easter Sunday morning. “We are called,” he said, “to walk in newness of life and to set our hearts on God, with love for one another.”

This is no easy task. But the resurrection of Jesus Christ gives us every day “the power to respond to God’s love, to show mercy * to others, and to serve one another,” the Cardinal said. “All of this is what, through the power of Christ’s resurrection, we are called to do with renewed fervor and commitment on this Easter Day.”

This article appeared in the April 1, 2010, edition of the Catholic Standard & Times in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

As in the United States which faced similar charges nine years ago, the accusations – often involving clergy sexual abuse of minors from decades ago – center primarily on Church leaders failing to remove known sexual offenders from active ministry, and an alleged pervasive Church response of silence, secretiveness and cover-up.

As the Executive Committee of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops stated in a message this Holy Week, “The recent emergence of more reports of sexual abuse by clergy saddens and angers the Church and causes us shame. If there is anywhere that children should be safe, it should be in their homes and in the Church.”

As with the stories that took place a decade ago in the United States, there is an undeniable element of truth in the reporting, although it is often lost in agenda-driven rhetoric. But despite the steamy anti-Catholicism, it is true that the response of some within the Church in Europe in the past was to rely on the therapeutic culture of the times. There was a belief that sexual offenders could be cured through a mix of therapy and a change in location.

As they learned, that this was not true. While no one made such decisions thinking that children would be hurt, predators were returned to ministry and victimized young people again.

In Europe the problem was abetted by the belief that sexual abuse of minors was somehow an American crisis rather than a worldwide tragedy. It was with the support of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and future Pope Benedict XVI, that the U.S. bishops’ determination to address the issue of clergy sexual misconduct with speed and severity was given forceful approval.

At the heart of the New York Times’ series and the media stampede that has followed, is the contention that Cardinal Ratzinger, as archbishop of Munich in 1980, had been complicit in the reappointment of an abusive priest who abused more children in his new assignment.

More seriously, it is charged that as prefect for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (1981-2005), Cardinal Ratzinger delayed or prevented the removal of abusive priests, particularly a Wisconsin priest who had abused deaf children in the 1950s and early 1960s. In turn, there has been then a more generic charge, as columnist Maureen Dowd put it, that “the pope is in too deep. He has proved himself anything but infallible” by his handling of clergy sexual abuse.

In the Munich case, a German priest accused of sexually abusing a child was allowed to return to ministry after limited therapy when Pope Benedict was the archbishop of Munich and Freising in 1980. In 1985, three years after Cardinal Ratzinger had taken up his position in Rome, the German priest faced new accusations of abuse and was suspended from the priesthood and convicted in German civil court.

The Vatican has denied that the Holy Father was involved in the reappointment of the abusive German priest and an archdiocesan official who had returned the priest to ministry has taken full responsibility for the “serious error” of that decision. A memo to Archbishop Ratzinger at the time noting the reappointment reinforced that the decision had been made at that level and was not made by the Archbishop. News reports, however, interpreted the memo as a “smoking gun” showing Archbishop Ratzinger was complicit in the actual decision. The Vatican has consistently denied any such involvement on the part of the pope.

Even more disturbing is the case of Father Lawrence Murphy of Milwaukee that has received ongoing coverage. In 1974, accusations came to light that Father Murphy abused dozens of children at St. John’s School for the Deaf where he was principal. Father Murphy was placed on leave and he moved to northern Wisconsin in the Diocese of Superior where he lived in a family home with his mother. His ability to practice ministry was withdrawn and he was never reassigned to any ministry from that point until his death in 1998.

The police investigated the charges concerning Father Murphy but no arrest was ever made. But advocacy on the part of the victims led the Archdiocese of Milwaukee to revisit the matter in 1996. Archbishop Rembert Weakland of Milwaukee informed the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith that he intended to conduct a trial of Father Murphy for violating the sacrament of Confession in committing sexual abuse. That crime falls under the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and Father Murphy was notified in September 1996 that a canonical trial would proceed against him in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.

Throughout 1997, the trial was prepared for and in January, 1998 the tribunal of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee was ready to proceed against Father Murphy. Father Murphy, citing bad health, appealed to the Congregation asking that he be spared that local trial, but agreeing to continue out of ministry. Cardinal Ratzinger’s deputy at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Archbishop Tarcisio Bertone, suggested pastoral measures – rather than a complicated trial – to ensure that Father Murphy would continue in his present state and never return to ministry. However, the trial proceeded and Father Murphy died on August 21, 1998, before the completion of the trial.

Simply put, the canonical trial was never delayed by Cardinal Ratzinger or Cardinal Ratzinger’s office. Once the trial commenced in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, it ended only when Father Murphy died. There had been no interference, no hold-up for 20 years from Rome by Cardinal Ratzinger or the doctrinal congregation – which was not informed of the charges until 1996 – no assignment of Father Murphy to ministry after the accusations came to light, no interference and no cover-up.

Media reports have stated that Cardinal Ratzinger as prefect for the doctrinal congregation was the person at the Vatican responsible for reviewing sexual abuse accusations from 1981 to 2005. That is not true. Only in 2001 was his office given that responsibility and once he had that responsibility, the Vatican proceeded to become directly involved in the issue which, prior to that, had been primarily handled on the local level.

This direct involvement by Cardinal Ratzinger was instrumental for the bishops of the United States to be able to proceed with the implementation of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, which has become a model for the Church throughout the world in protecting children. Under Cardinal Ratzinger, sexual abuse cases were handled rapidly and fairly unlike in the past where they could languish for years.

As pope, Benedict XVI has been instrumental in addressing the scourge of the abuse of children. He has forcefully spoken on the issue time and time again, made adjustments in canonical procedures to make certain of a swift response in removing offenders, has personally met with victims as he did during his pastoral visit to the United States, and he has addressed entire national conferences of bishops as he most recently did so forcefully with the bishops of Ireland in a pastoral letter dated March 19, 2010.

His words to priests and religious in Ireland who had abused children were firm and final: “You betrayed the trust that was placed in you by innocent young people and their parents, and you must answer for it before Almighty God and before properly constituted tribunals. You have forfeited the esteem of the people of Ireland and brought shame and dishonor upon your confreres….”

To the bishops of Ireland, he stated: “It cannot be denied that some of your predecessors failed, at times grievously, to apply the long-established norms of canon law to the crime of child abuse. Serious mistakes were made in responding to allegations. I recognize how difficult it was to grasp the extent and complexity of the problem, to obtain reliable information and to make the right decisions in the light of conflicting expert advice. Nevertheless, it must be admitted that grave errors in judgment were made and failures of leadership occurred. All this has undermined your credibility and effectiveness.”

The Church now provides the most effective, efficient and comprehensive means to address the scourge of child sexual abuse. There are no organizations – nationally or internationally – that have developed such an effective means to address this tragic issue.

As the executive committee of the US bishops stated in Holy Week, “We live out this commitment through the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, which calls us to respond with compassion to victims/survivors, to work diligently to screen those working with children and young people in the Church, to provide child abuse awareness and prevention education, to report suspected abuse to civil law enforcement, and to account for our efforts to protect children and youth through an external annual national audit.”

And in doing so, they have the full support – and leadership – of Pope Benedict XVI.

By Robert Lockwood, General Manager of the Pittsburgh Catholic.  This article appeared in the April 2, 2010, edition of the Pittsburgh Catholic.

During April, child protection staff in dioceses nationwide reexamine and publicize efforts for child protection. This has been a key effort of the church since 2002, when the U.S. bishops adopted the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, in response to clergy sexual abuse of children.

Kettelkamp, executive director of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Secretariat for Children and Young People, developed the list after reviewing what the Catholic Church has learned in facing the clergy sexual abuse problem. The ten points follow.

Sexual molestation is about the victim. Many people are affected when a priest abuses a minor, but the individual most impacted is the victim who has suffered a violation of trust that can affect his or her entire life. The abuser, the family of the abused, and the parish community are all affected by this sin and crime, but the primary person of concern must be the victim.

No one has the right to have access to children. If people wish to volunteer for the church, for example, in a parish or school, they must follow diocesan guidelines on background checks, safe environment training, policies and procedures, and codes of conduct. No one, no matter who they are, has an automatic right to be around children or young people who are in the care of the church without proper screening and without following the rules.

Common sense is not all that common. It is naive to presume that people automatically know boundaries so organizations and families have to spell them out. For example, no youth minister, cleric or other adult leader should be in a child’s bedroom, alone with the child.

Child sexual abuse can be prevented. Awareness that child sexual abuse exists and can exist anywhere is a start. It is then critical to build safety barriers around children and young people to keep them from harm. These barriers come in the form of protective guardians, codes of conduct, background evaluations, policies and procedures, and safety training programs.

The residual effects of having been abused can last a lifetime. Those who have been abused seldom “just get over it.” The sense of violation goes deep into a person’s psyche and feelings of anger, shame, hurt and betrayal can build long after the abuse has taken place. Some have even described the feeling as if it has “scarred their soul.”

Feeling heard leads toward healing. Relief from hurt and anger often comes when one feels heard, when one’s pain and concerns are taken seriously, and a victim/survivor’s appropriate sense of rage and indignation are acknowledged. Not being acknowledged contributes to a victim’s sense of being invisible, unimportant and unworthy; they are in some way “revictimized.”

You cannot always predict who will be an abuser. Experience shows that most abuse is at the hands of someone who has gained the trust of a victim/survivor and his/her family. Most abuse also occurs in the family setting. Sometimes the “nicest person in the world” is an abuser, and this “niceness” enables a false sense of trust to be created between abuser and abused.

There are behavioral warning signs of child abusers. Training and education help adults recognize grooming techniques that are precursors to abuse. Some abusers isolate a potential victim by giving him or her undue attention or lavish gifts. Another common grooming technique is to allow young people to participate in activities which their parents or guardians would not approve, such as watching pornography, drinking alcohol, using drugs, and excessive touching, which includes wrestling and tickling. It is also critical to be wary of age-inappropriate relationships, seen, for example, in the adult who is more comfortable with children than fellow adults. Parishes can set up rules to guide interaction between adults and children.

People can be taught to identify grooming behavior – which are the actions which abusers take to project the image that they are kind, generous, caring people, while their intent is to lure a minor into an inappropriate relationship. An abuser may develop a relationship with the family to increase his credibility. Abusers might show attention to the child by talking to him/her, being friendly, sharing alcohol with a minor and giving the child “status” by insinuating that the child is their favorite or “special person.” Offenders can be patient and may “groom” their victim, his or her family, or community for years.

Background checks work. Background checks in churches, schools and other organizations keep predators away from children both because they scare off some predators and because they uncover past actions which should ban an adult from working or volunteering with children. If an adult has had difficulty with some boundaries that society sets, such as not driving while intoxicated or not disturbing the public peace, he or she may have difficulties with other boundaries, such as not hurting a child. Never forget that offenders lie.

How well is your community doing in the 2010 Census? With the Census Bureau’s interactive ‘Take 10 Map,’ you can track how well your community is participating in the Census by seeing what percentage of households have mailed back their forms. The map is updated every day as questionnaires are returned, and allows you to compare your community’s performance this decade to how well it did in 2000.  View the Take 10 Map online.

You can also see how Pennsylvania is doing.  View Pennsylvania’s daily participation rate online at the PA Census 2010 site; the Data Center has also been creating a weekly county-by-county map of census participation rates (just click on ‘Participation Rates’). You can view the map, download a PDF copy, or download the data for states, counties, municipalities or census tracts. This map will be updated every Wednesday while the Census is ongoing.

This project oriented internship involves research, writing and outreach about public policy issues of concern to the Catholic Church. Responsibilities will include, but not be limited to, writing newsletter articles, writing and designing informative bulletin inserts, research or other communications and advocacy activities.

Hours are flexible. A schedule will be developed to accommodate the intern’s class schedule and credit earning needs. The internship is not a paid position, but students will be compensated for travel expenses.

Please send a current resume to abhill@pacatholic.org along with a brief cover letter outlining:

1. Your availability for an internship in the upcoming terms (from when to when)
2. Your short-term (five-year) job goals upon graduation
3. Your goals for doing/learning during this potential internship
4. Your need for academic credit (or not) for the internship

Interviews will include a review of the student’s writing samples, portfolio materials and a discussion of credit requirements.