While I was serving as a priest in St. Timothy’s between 1966 and 1969, I got a call from the director of Catholic Services. I was asked to attend graduate school at Boston College so that I could work with the population of priests needing psychological intervention. At the time, my decision was quick and easy, “No!” I did not want to be priest bureaucrat. I still felt that the work of implementing the Vatican Council was a long way from being implemented. At the time, I was hopeful that the institution would change.
With the later awareness of clergy sex abuse and the role of the cardinal and his associates in its tragic role in keeping such priests in parishes, I was so glad with my decision. Even though my decision was not in anyway related, I am aware that people like myself are not immune from being influenced by those in power. If the role that they wanted me to play in serving priests with problems, would I be strong enough to fight the system of allowing priests who abused children to return to parish life after”treatment”? I know many of the priests who worked in diocesan positions, including one, who I had high regard for, that was in charge of the clergy. How he could facilitate these moves is a mystery to me. What I know is that none of us are immune from the influence of power.
I would like to think that I could have made a difference, but I know that I am as human as others, especially since I was TOTALLY UNAWARE of the problem of priest sex abuse at the time. I thought that they wanted me to treat priests with “ordinary” mental health issues. How naive I was!
No comments:
Post a Comment