Opinion Articles

SOUL MATTERS: Help for Catholics confused by clergy abuse
By Teresa Brierley

Most people in the diocesan Catholic community have been affected, perhaps to varying degrees, by the issue of abuse by some clergy. Regrettably, many have been directly and personally affected. Others have been part of parish or local communities from which clergy have been, or are currently, the subject of legal allegations and/or criminal proceedings. They may have been stood aside, charged, and (occasionally) sentenced. Some have died, and others still belong to our community. Some are local, some are not.

Sexual abuse elicits many feelings and reactions: confusion, disbelief, fear and anxiety, powerlessness, betrayal, divided loyalties, grief, disillusionment, anger, resentment. Whenever discussion about this issue occurs some individuals may revisit past instances of trauma in their own lives. Some writers on this topic have named the experience “Spiritual Trauma”.

Some who have previously been committed wholeheartedly to faith and to church may have stopped attending Mass, or may have walked away from our communities. Some may be just hanging in there, still hoping that they can come through this ordeal as part of the (albeit deeply scarred and perhaps forever changed) Catholic Church. Many are secondary victims of these issues because they, like me, are part of the faith community – connected or otherwise.

Others question church leadership, structures and culture which have perhaps enabled abuse to occur. Some think this issue is being given too much attention, and others feel it is still being denied, covered up, and suppressed. For some, the media coverage may seem sensational, offensive, dishonest, anti-Catholic. Others may think that journalists and editors are doing their jobs and that the truth must be told. For most the media is a key source of information.

In January 2009, a group of people belonging to the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle came together to consider what could be offered in response to the shared pain of the community arising from the issue of sexual abuse by some clergy. The members of the group, now known as Insights, have backgrounds and professional experience in counselling, pastoral care, education, ritual, spirituality and communications. The name Insights was chosen because it highlighted mutuality in sharing: no individual is the “expert” but together we are well placed to share and explore the complexity of the situation that faces us.

An early experience of the Insights Team together has shaped something of what we now present. We simply shared what we felt, speaking and being heard in an atmosphere of respect and acceptance. One of our members said, “Every person in the diocese should be given this opportunity.”

So you are invited to attend one of our Insights Gatherings where, in small groups, you will be invited to share your thoughts and feelings about the way this issue has affected you personally. It is not an open forum, it is not a discussion, it is not a workshop, it is not a debate, it is not searching for answers, it is a listening process.

Insights intends to create a space where we have the courage to listen to ourselves, each other and the Spirit. Hopefully, we can then address together our emerging needs. We enter this process not knowing what will emerge because each person will bring to the group his or her perspective, and all perspectives are valid. Insights invites people into an unbiased space.

For legal and privacy reasons, we are not permitted to discuss current or previous allegations or instances of abuse. Insights will be facilitated by skilled and experienced local professionals. From the small group experiences, we hope that we will each discern a way forward, or at least the next step in what we hope can be a process of healing for each of us as individuals, and as a community.

This will not be easy. There may well be confronting views and feelings, divisions within communities, intense emotion. It is my fervent hope that we can support each other and discern together, ‘where to from here?’

You are encouraged to accept this invitation. If you have any questions or concerns, please phone the Chancery Office, 4979 1111 or email chancery@mn.catholic.org.au and someone from Insights will contact you.

Teresa Brierley is the Vice Chancellor of the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle, and a member of the Insights Team.

Dates, Times and Locations for Insights

Wed 21 October, 7.00-9.00pm Therry Centre, King Street, East Maitland (Hunter Deanery)
Wed 4 November, 7.00-9.00pm Gateshead Parish Hall, Felton Street. (Newcastle Deanery).
Sun 8 November, 10.30 am, Taree Parish Hall, Albert Street. (Myall Deanery)
Wed 11 November, 7.00-9.00pm, Raymond Terrace Parish Hall, William Street. (Myall Deanery)
Wed 18 November, 7.00-9.00pm, Glendale Parish Hall, Oakland Street. (Watagan Deanery)
Sun 29 November, 11.00 am Aberdeen, St Joseph’s High School Library. (Hunter Deanery)

*This article was published in The Herald, 21st October 2009