Church in
Crisis Forgiveness marks Holy Thursday service
By GILL DONOVAN
In an act designed to help victims of sexual abuse heal from the
traumas they have suffered, a woman who as a child was repeatedly abused by a
priest participated in Holy Thursday services led by Cleveland Bishop Anthony
Pilla at St. John Cathedral.
The Cleveland Plain Dealer says the woman allowed Pilla to
wash her feet, following Jesus example in Johns Gospel when he
washed the feet of his disciples at the Last Supper. The Plain
Dealers policy is not to identify by name victims of sex crimes.
The woman embraced Pilla after he dried her feet, and the Plain
Dealer reported March 29: Pilla, his face quivering with emotion,
whispered Thank you in her ear.
Pilla, who was installed as Clevelands bishop in January
1981, has come under criticism following a series of stories by the Plain
Dealer in March that detail the dioceses history of reassigning to
other parishes priests accused of sexual abuse of minors and of defending
itself in sexual abuse civil suits through the use of legal tactics in which
victims are forced to recount minute details of the abuse in extended
depositions led by diocesan lawyers.
For the victims of abuse and their parents and
families, the bishop said in his homily on Holy Thursday, for all
of you good people, for all of you good priests ... for all of us, there is a
great deal of crucifixion in this painful reality.
According to the Plain Dealer, the woman later told the
congregation that she had felt abandoned by the church and those around
me. She said she was recovering through Gods grace and asked the
congregation to teach each other about faith and about love as we carry
our crosses.
Pilla said of the womans participation: I just think
it takes tremendous courage, tremendous faith and an unbelievable sense of
forgiveness to do what she did.
The woman, now 29, first suffered sexual abuse by Cleveland priest
Martin Louis when she was 8 years old. The priest was allowed by her devout
parents to meet with the girl in her room, where he threatened her with eternal
damnation if she informed on him. The abuse continued until she was 11 years
old. Afterward, she suffered severe depression, eating disorders and thoughts
of suicide. As a teenager, she contacted police about Louis. He was arrested
and later pled guilty to one count of rape, for which he received a sentence of
five to 25 years.
In an interview with the Plain Dealer, the woman said the
church did little to help her cope with the abuse. She said she was shocked in
1996 when she learned that Pilla wrote a letter in support of an effort to
obtain early release for Louis. Pilla later withdrew the letter after hearing
that the woman opposed early release for Louis.
Recently, Pilla made a call to the woman to offer his apology, and
after she volunteered to help other victims of clergy sexual abuse, the bishop
suggested she take part in the Holy Thursday service.
The womans acceptance of the bishops apology and
participation in the service is all the more extraordinary considering that
Detective Joe Bensi, who investigated the case against Martin, has told the
Plain Dealer that he found evidence that indicated the diocese had
received allegations against Martin as early as the mid-60s. Instead of
having the priest defrocked, the diocese had transferred him from parish to
parish.
According to the Plain Dealer, Louis has admitted to having
molested over 90 children while a priest in Cleveland. The diocese has
estimated that he abused 12 to 16 victims.
The Plain Dealer also reported that when fighting civil
suits against allegations of clergy sex abuse of minors, the diocese has
repeatedly used the legal tactic of prolonging the questioning of victims about
the abuse in depositions.
The newspaper reported on such depositions March 10. Beverly
Schonher, who brought a civil suit against a parish priest who abused her
repeatedly during a two-year period beginning when she 16 years old, was
deposed for four days. Her case is still pending in court.
The Plain Dealer reported: Schonher was pressed for
prurient -- and seemingly irrelevant -- information, asking her, for instance,
which hand the priest had allegedly used to assault her, how many fingers he
had used and whether she had enjoyed the sex.
Said Karen Crist, one of Schonhers lawyers: In over a
decade of doing this work, I never, ever ran into an opponent who stooped to
this tactic.
A few times, I thought I was going to vomit. Bev would start
to shake and have to stop. We probably took 20 breaks.
Edward Maher, the dioceses lead lawyer, has defended his
questioning tactics, saying, My job as a lawyer is to do the best job I
can, to learn all the facts, to know the law and apply it to the case. I try to
do that with sensitivity, care and concern.
Because cases of clergy sex abuse in the diocese have been settled
with confidentiality agreements, it is unclear how successful Mahers
tactics have been, but the Plain Dealer reports that in one case an
unnamed 19-year-old victim dropped his suit after suffering through two days of
such prolonged questioning.
In response to the reports, the Cleveland diocese is forming a
commission to review its policy governing child sexual abuse.
It is clear to everyone that our policies and implementation
has been both challenged and supported, challenged by some and supported by
some, Pilla told the Catholic Universe Bulletin, Clevelands
diocesan newspaper. I felt it would be important that a panel would look
at our policy and to see that we conduct ourselves in an appropriate
manner.
Its also a reaction to the people who have been
affirming the policies and who have felt weve made a good faith effort
[to resolve allegations], he said.
The commission will be composed of 15 members and led by William
Denihan, former director of the Cuyahoga County Department of Children and
Family Services.
Gill Donovan is a writer for NCR.
National Catholic Reporter, April 12,
2002
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