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Aug 4, 2003 In late June, I wrote an article entitled An Epiphany For the Catholic Church in America based on research compiled from the pages of The Arizona Republic of Phoenix and The Sun of Yuma. The Churchs sex scandal in Arizona came to a climax when Bishop Thomas J. OBrien, head of the Phoenix Diocese, who admitted to covering up charges of sexual abuse by priests for decades, was arrested and charged with a felony it and run accident. His arrest made headline news all over the country. Archbishop Michael J. Sheehan of the Santa Fe, New Mexico diocese was sent to Arizona to replace Bishop OBrien. I stated at the time the Archbishop had a rough road ahead of him to repair the damage to the Church as a result of the sex scandals involving parish priests, not only from Arizona, but all over our nation. Sheehan began the healing process with a letter read to all of the faithful in the Phoenix diocese reassuring Catholics about the future of the church and asking them to put their faith in the sacraments of the Lord. The Archbishop has removed 20 priests accused of sexual abuse and began a series of meetings with victims of sexual abuse and their families. He will make public the Phoenix responses to national studies on the sexual-abuse crisis when the studies, commissioned by the U.S bishops conference, are announced at the end of this year. Sheehan has praised lay participation in church affairs and says he is willing to meet with a local Catholic organization, Voice of the Faithful which has been formed in the wake of the sex-abuse scandal. He has already met with the dioceses financial board and is set to meet with the Pastoral Council. A search for a new bishop for the Phoenix diocese is underway. The archbishop has said The individual chosen will NOT be from Phoenix and will already be a bishop. You can put your money on that. The latest brouhaha within the Phoenix diocese opened up again the other day. Sheehan revealed that a former Phoenix pastor, accused in a lawsuit for assaulting a youth, was sent for treatment at a New Mexico facility in 1988 known for handling sexual behavior problems. Following his stay at the clinic, he returned to Phoenix to serve the diocese in three predominately Hispanic parishes. Psychologists at the clinic said he could be placed again in the ministry after he had completed his treatment phase. My first article stated that the group most adversely affected by the sexual abuse incidents taking place in the Phoenix diocese were Hispanics who constitute more then 200,000 of the 478,000 Diocese parishioners. They treat the churchs authority with the most reverence. Their faith is their identity, but many of them lack communication skills in English and were fearful of going to civil authorities with complaints of sexual abuse by their parish priests. As interim administrator, Sheehan has spoken with seven abuse victims so far, apologized to them, encourages them to seek counseling and shared hopes for their spiritual recovery. For the future, the Archbishop sees renewed hope and a sense of restoring some trust. But, will it be enough to heal the damage caused over the past several decades by priests and their bishops who refused to face reality and covered up the charges of sexual abuse which are now erupting all over the country? I hope and pray that it is. We need all of the faith we can get "in these troubled times that try mens - and womens - souls". ------------ About the author: Bobbie Hart ONeill is a retired print media journalist, CSU-Sacramento, 74, with 40 years experience in the field. She has worked as a reporter, feature writer, columnist, public relations writer, magazine/newsletter editor and publisher. She is currently a freelance writer residing in Yuma, Arizona and has published a childrens book, written three screenplays and a novel. In addition, she is interested in civic affairs, politics, current events, ethnology and animals. Email Bobbie: bobbieo@digitaldune.net Comment on this column in the forum. Tell a friend about this site! ------------ |
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