Looking back at the weekly messages of Father Paul Counce, first published in The Carpenter, our weekly Parish Bulletin
Published: February 10, 2019
On January 31, as I’m sure you know by now, Bishop Duca announced a list of clergy who have been, over the history of our Diocese of Baton Rouge, credibly accused of sexual misconduct with minors. Since this is the first chance I have had since that date to pen a column in The Carpenter, I thought I’d offer a few reflections on this sad news.
And that’s what it is: very sad news. Although the bishop noted that the 37 names (36 priests and 1 seminarian who was never ordained) came from 1,033 separate files, and so are a tiny fraction of the total – indeed they average just 3.58%, a figure comparable with the general population – even one situation of abuse is one too many. Although respect for Christ’s Church and her clergy is a praiseworthy sentiment, in and of itself priesthood is not more important than the innocence of a child. Such violations of body and spirit often – in fact, I understand almost always when perpetrated by trusted adults – cause severe emotional trauma. Without counseling and strong support this kind of thing typically prevents normal relational and affective abilities from developing. It ruins one’s whole life. That’s a terrible, terrible thing to do to a young person, and it is rightly identified not only as immoral but also criminal.
In our diocese our leadership generally has been effective in dealing with this sort of intolerable behavior – obviously excepting of course Bishop Joseph Sullivan from 1974 to 1982, who himself feigned holiness whilst living a deplorable, selfish life. Yet a careful look at the numbers show that here and there we made mistakes locally too. Now and then those who shouldn’t have become priests were ordained – or if already ordained were permitted to continue ministry – despite known problems. Some who offended were not as promptly dismissed from ministry as should have happened. Investigations were sometimes too cautious, and from time to time the prevailing but misguided recommendations of psychologists and others that such sexual aberrations were “curable” led to mistakes. Insurance companies and their attorneys, and victims’ families and lawyers too, often were more concerned with quick settlements and confidentiality than anything else.
It has taken profoundly sad publicity to remind the Church and her leadership that we need to heal as Jesus did: by insisting upon personal and institutional repentance, by presence and care offered to those who are hurting and forgotten, by not being afraid to “name the demon,” and by persistence especially in humility and penance – as well as by prayer. The recent priorities of the Church apparently have made great strides: there’s better screening and formation of seminarians, employees and volunteers; a “safe environment” at church activities and on church property is in place; and civil authorities are always informed from the outset when an allegation, no matter how unlikely it may sound, comes in. Things are way better than they were: only 3 incidents of abuse were reported here from the 1980s, and none in the 1990s, 2000s and thus far since 2010.
While we can hope we’ve “learned our lesson,” sin continues to hold much sway over human beings. Only time will tell. So in the meantime, stay vigilant, be holy, and pray for the Church: yourselves and your clergy!
Yours in Christ,
Rev. Paul D. Counce
