Reconciliation, reparations, and a means to both

Reconciliation, Reparations, and a Means to Both

Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap.
November 8, 2018

To the people and clergy of the Church in Philadelphia:

As many of you will remember, less than two months ago each of the Catholic bishops of Pennsylvania pledged to offer substantial new sources of support for survivors of clergy sexual abuse. In the weeks since then, we’ve worked zealously to keep that promise.  Today in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, we are honoring that pledge, with a special concern for victims burdened by time-barred claims.

The damage done to innocent young people and their families by sexual abuse in the past is profound.  It can’t be erased by apologies, no matter how sincere.  And money can’t buy back a wounded person’s wholeness.  But what compensation can do is acknowledge the evil done and meaningfully assist survivors as they work to find greater peace in their lives.

To that end, I’m announcing today the creation of a new reparations program available to anyone abused in the past by clergy of the archdiocese.  This “Independent Reconciliation and Reparations” effort will be funded by the Archdiocese.  We will pay the amounts that independent claims administrators deem appropriate.

While the total number of claims and the ultimate funding required cannot be known at this time, the financial commitment from the Archdiocese will be significant.  Initial funding for the program will be provided by existing Archdiocesan assets.  Additional program funding will need to come from borrowing and the sale of archdiocesan properties. Which properties will be sold has not yet been determined.

Note that no money to fund the program will come from our Catholic Charities Appeal, Seminary Appeal, other donor-designated funds or donations made to parishes, ministries, and schools.

This new program will be separate from, and add to, our already existing survivor-assistance efforts. The good work of the Archdiocese’s Office of Child and Youth Protection, led by Leslie Davila, a former victim-assistance officer with the Philadelphia District Attorney and a victim’s advocate for 19 years, will continue.  Ms. Davila’s team has provided more than $18M dollars of assistance to victims already, and again to be clear, today’s new compensation program is in addition to those efforts.

I want to turn now to the new compensation program and some of its details.

At the very start of our efforts to create a new private reparations program, we consulted Ms. Lynn Shiner.  Ms. Shiner is a survivor of violent crime herself and has spent her 22-year career as a victim’s advocate in Pennsylvania working with and on behalf of survivors of all types of abuse.  Ms. Shiner was the director of the Pennsylvania Office of Victims’ Services, and she oversaw Pennsylvania’s public victim compensation program.  Under her direction, this state fund has distributed more than $100 million to victims.  With Ms. Shiner’s guidance, we designed our program based on input from dozens of victims about what they expect and need from such an effort.  Ms. Shiner has generously agreed to be an ongoing part of this program’s work.  She will be the Victim Support Facilitator and will be available to help survivors in coming forward, presenting their claims, and finding appropriate services within and outside of the Church.

This program, however, is about more than compensation of victims.  It’s also about apologizing to victims, recognizing the harm the Church has done, and continuing the critical work to ensure abuse is prevented.  The program will include an independent review of our current policies, input on our training programs, and recommendations for steps toward increased emotional and spiritual healing in our community.

This reconciliation and reparations effort needs to be, and will be, independent of the Church.  Leaders in our community who have impeccable credentials will administer it.  To assure this autonomy, an Independent Oversight Committee, chaired by former U.S. Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell, will supervise the effort.  Joining Senator Mitchell on the committee will be Kelley Hodge, former Interim District Attorney for the City and County of Philadelphia; and Lawrence F. Stengel (Ret.), former Chief Judge for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

Victims’ advocates have stressed that the program must allow survivors to receive redress quickly without burdensome administrative or court-type procedures.  When we canvassed the country for the very best claims administrators, it quickly became clear that Mr. Kenneth R. Feinberg and Ms. Camille S. Biros, two nationally recognized experts, are extraordinary at this work and have now developed special experience working with multiple dioceses.  Mr. Feinberg and Ms. Biros will administer all aspects of the claims process, under the supervision of the Oversight Committee.  These administrators will have complete authority to determine eligibility of individual claims and the amount of reparations for survivors who come forward.

I need to emphasize again that this effort is entirely independent of the Archdiocese and is confidential. The program is designed to help survivors come forward in an atmosphere where they are secure and respected, without the uncertainty, conflict, and stress of litigation.  On November 13, Senator Mitchell and the team involved in this effort will hold a separate press conference providing full details and answering any questions on the program.  I invite our news media and the general public to listen carefully to what they say.

I want to thank these extraordinary public leaders for their service in this work to repair the damage of the past and ease the suffering of survivors and their families.

Finally and most importantly: I deeply regret the pain that so many victims carry from the experience of sex abuse.  I hope this program will bring them a measure of peace.

+Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap.
Archbishop of Philadelphia

ARCHBISHOP CHARLES J. CHAPUT, O.F.M. Cap. ANNOUNCES ESTABLISHMENT OF INDEPENDENT RECONCILIATION AND REPARATIONS PROGRAM TO SUPPORT SURVIVORS OF CHILDHOOD SEXUAL ABUSE

http://catholicphilly.com/2018/11/photo-features/saints-come-alive-at-bucks-co-grade-school/

Founded in 1832, St. Charles Borromeo Seminary is the oldest Catholic institution of higher learning in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. The mission of the seminary is to form servant leaders after the heart of Jesus Christ. Join us in supporting their mission.

Archbishop Chaput released a public statement in response to the recent shooting at synagogue in Pittsburgh. The full text is attached and below. Please share this material broadly with others. Thank you.

STATEMENT OF ARCHBISHOP CHARLES J. CHAPUT, O.F.M. Cap. REGARDING SHOOTING AT PITTSBURGH SYNAGOGUE

Religious and ethnic hatred is vile in any form, but the ugly record of the last century is a lesson in the special evil of anti-Semitism.  That evil has not been stamped out.  Rather, it has been resurgent in many areas of the world for the last several decades.  It has no place in America, and especially in the hearts of Christians.  I want to express the heartfelt support and prayers of Philadelphia’s Catholic community, and my own, for the victims of the Pittsburgh synagogue attack and their families.  May God give them courage and solace, and may this be a statewide wake-up call to resist religious hatred.

+Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap.

Archbishop of Philadelphia

Join us for The Little Church Open House Sunday 10/28, after 9:00 and 11:00 Mass

Little Church is a child care program where children ages 2-5 learn about God while their families attend Mass. The program is available every week during the 11:00 Sunday Mass. Little Church is located on the second floor of the Parish Center. Parents (or grandparents) simply drop off the children on their way to Church. The Little Church Open House is this Sunday, October 28, after the 9:00 Mass and 11:00 Mass.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR LITTLE CHURCH

Would you spend 90 minutes one Sunday per month to serve God by helping our Little Church?  Help is needed during the 11:00 AM Sunday Mass in the Parish Center-upstairs from 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM. Teens and adults, men and women, please consider serving the youngest of our Parish! See Jean Madden or call 215-946-1115 OR stop by the Little Church room before or after the 11:00 a.m. Mass.  Stay awhile and see what the children are doing!

MEMORIAL MASS FOR THE MOST REVEREND JOSEPH ROBERT CISTONE  BISHOP OF SAGINAW

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2018 AT 4:30 PM

SAINT MARTIN OF TOURS CHAPEL

AT SAINT CHARLES BORROMEO SEMINARY

100 East Wynnewood Road, Wynnewood, PA 19096

Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, Celebrant

All Clergy and Faithful are Welcome

Pastors are asked to include this notice in all parish publications.

All priests are invited to concelebrate the Mass.

Please bring archdiocesan vestments for Mass.

Bishop Cistone was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia on May 17, 1975, and was ordained an auxiliary Bishop on July 28, 2004.  He became the sixth Bishop of the Diocese of Saginaw on July 28, 2009.  Bishop Cistone entered eternal life on October 16, 2018.

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord; and let perpetual light shine upon him.

May he rest in peace.  Amen.

May his soul and the souls of the faithful departed,

through the mercy of God, rest in peace.  Amen.

Children Helping Children: PREP Students Help the Missionary Childhood Association

On September 24th and 25th, Ali Holden spoke to all our PREP classes on behalf of the Missionary Childhood Association. Ali encouraged our students to think of needs of children living in mission dioceses throughout the world and to support them both spiritually and sacrificially.

Throughout the month of October, the Month of the Missions, our children have been praying for those who serve in the missions around the world, being missionaries in small ways right here in our local community and saving money to donate to the missions. The money raised will be directed toward self-help programs involving the building of schools, the provision of health and nutrition programs and medications, school fees, as well as teaching and learning resources. This has been a wonderful way for our young parishioners to fulfill the Lord’s command to “Love one another” through the Missionary Childhood Associations “children helping children” campaign.

Archbishop Chaput’s Interview with The Torch: Overcoming Challenges for Youth and Bishops

Archbishop Chaput is currently in Rome participating in the 2018 Synod of Bishops on Young People, the Faith, and Vocational Discernment.

He recently conducted an interview with Adriana Watkins of The Torch, the official Catholic newspaper of Boston College, to discuss current challenges facing young people and bishops in our Church. Here is the interview in its entirety:

Catholic Bishops from around the world convened beginning on Oct. 3 for the 2018 Synod on Young People, the Faith, and Vocational Discernment. One of the 6 bishops representing the United States is The Most Reverend Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap., of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. On October 20th, Archbishop Chaput corresponded withThe Torch to share his thoughts on the Synod so far.

The Torch.  What pressing issues are specifically facing young people, as opposed to other groups within the Church? What do you consider the most serious issue young people must contend with?

Archbishop Chaput.  The issues differ from culture to culture. We in the United States judge ourselves lopsidedly by our work and how well we do at it. It’s our Calvinist roots. We need to accomplish things. Material success gives us our rank in the social machinery. Maybe that’s true everywhere, but it’s intensely so in America. This creates a huge amount of anxiety, especially among young people just starting out. If you can’t find a good job, if you’re not climbing up the economic ladder, your life loses meaning.

It’s not a sane way to live. Beauty, love, silence – these are vital things that feed our humanity, and a constant frenzy of work and distraction blinds us to all of them. So I think the most serious issues facing everybody today, but especially young people, are things like, “What does my life mean? Why am I here? Where do I belong?” And our culture seems very well organized to avoid or muffle all those basic questions.

T: Has your view of the Synod, its goals, and its documents changed since the outset?

C: I thought the Synod should be rescheduled or canceled because of the current abuse crisis in the Church. So my expectations have been modest. The originalinstrumentum laboris, or working document, had a lot of problems and almost no evangelical zeal or confident teaching.  The final text will likely be much improved. That happens at every Synod. The running joke at these meetings is that the original instrumentum is a martyr text. It gets cut to pieces. In this Synod, I sincerely hope that’s true.

T: What concrete outcomes do you see following from the Synod?

A: The best outcome would be a reality check: a frank awareness among bishops and at the Vatican of how quickly the Church is losing young people, especially in the so-called “developed” world, and what that means for the very near future.

T: After the Synod, what might be the most important topics to address in continuing conversation with your brother bishops and with clergy?

C: That’s a logical question, but it’s almost too broad to answer. The most urgent question for me is: How do we transmit a real, compelling faith to young people? By “real faith,” I mean a vivid sense of the supernatural, the transcendent, the sacramental—a personal encounter with Jesus Christ. A Christianity reduced to a good moral code or a useful system of ethics is just a halfway house to atheism. Nobody needs it.

T: What are some ways in which Bishops could be more accessible to their flocks, and especially to young people? What benefits do you think this could have for both laypeople and bishops?

C: Every bishop, at least in this country, is part CEO. That’s the nature of American institutions.  You need to work very hard to avoid being monopolized by the duties and headaches that go with leading a diocese, especially a big one. Every bishop handles it differently. I spend three or four hours a day personally answering letters and emails from people in the parishes. I do it— not my staff.  It sounds like a little thing, and it is. But I’ve been doing it for three decades. Over time, as people realize they’re actually connecting with their bishop and not a secretary, it really does make a difference.

I visit one or two different parishes every weekend, and I try to be present for youth and young adult events. Most weekends, I celebrate the Sunday evening Mass at our cathedral, and I encourage young adults to join me at that Mass. But a bishop’s physical presence is not enough. He needs to communicate to his people that he really does love them. If people feel that love and see it in their bishop, they’ll forgive a great deal. If they don’t, they’ll forgive very little.

T: How is the Synod balancing conceptions of youth across cultures and nations?

C: One of the great values of every Synod, including this youth Synod, is the exchange of experiences among bishops from very different environments. The friendships that result are very fruitful. Every Synod is an education in the global nature of the Church. It’s a good lesson in humility.

T: Were there one or two interventions at the Synod which particularly struck you?

C: Archbishop Anthony Fisher, O.P., of Sydney, Australia, gave aterrific intervention on the first day—the best of the Synod, in my judgment. Bridgeport’s Bishop Frank Caggiano also gave an excellent intervention, also on the first day.

T: How do you envision helping young people regain trust in the Church during this time of crisis? What concrete measures have you taken or envision taking to help restore hope in young Catholics?

C: As I’ve said in the past, there’s no quick fix to problems we behaved ourselves into.  New programs and policies to attract young people are good as far as they go. But people are converted or won back to the faith by other people, not techniques. If we want to restore trust, the only way to do it is over time, by living the Catholic faith we claim to believe with a personal witness of purity and integrity. What we do matters much more than what we say. There’s no substitute for the witness of personal conviction and behavior. It never lies.

T: What does your own ministry look like for people on the margins of the Church? Who do you try particularly to reach out to, and how?

C: I’m a Capuchin Franciscan, so I’ve been formed throughout my life to love the poor. In Philadelphia, our archdiocesan social ministries are very good, very extensive, and very active across the region. A lot of our attention right now focuses on the situation of migrants and undocumented immigrants.

T: What do you see young people achieving in your diocese and abroad?

C: They’re our emerging leaders. We’re just doing a very poor job of providing the counsel and guidance they need to build a future worthy of human beings. The consumer culture our nation thrives on has a lot of appeal and many advantages. But it can also starve the soul by focusing us radically on our appetites of the here and now. God made us for more that, for better and higher things.

T: What role do you see young people playing in the New Evangelization? What would you ask of young Catholics who want to support the Church in its time of need, but who may feel powerless?

C: For young adults, organizations like theFellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS) and The Culture Project do great work in the evangelization of culture field. But many other good organizations and parish youth groups exist. I think everyone, especially young people, should spend time reading and studying faithful histories of the Church. History is a good antidote to despair. The Church has experienced very bad times before, including very ugly internal corruption. But God always sends the saints we need for renewal.

T: What saints do you think provide particularly good examples for today’s young people?

C: Clare and Francis. If you want an example of pure, unselfish and radical love that changes the world, at a time when the Church had a great deal of confusion and corruption, you can start with them.

T: What concrete efforts are being made to encourage vocations to the priesthood and religious life, both in your diocese and abroad? What do you see as necessary steps to continue these efforts?

C: Can I just say, first, that vocations begin with children? Married couples need to welcome new life and not be conned into the nonsense that the “socially responsible” limit for children is two. Good reasons to limit childbearing certainly can exist. But in too many cases, the motives are arbitrary, often rooted in fear, and distrustful of God’s love. We need more large Christian families. No families with children, no priests; no priests, no Eucharist; no Eucharist, no Church.

Beyond that, for a diocese, selecting the right priest to do vocation work—a man of integrity and energy—is crucial.

T: What would you say to a young man or woman who is discerning religious vocations in the midst of the abuse crisis?

C: Ignatius Loyola and Francis of Assisi both began their work at terrible times for the Church. I could name a hundred other saints who did the same. What I would say to a young woman or man is simple: the Church needs you; God loves you; trust in that love, and take the risk.

T: The life and mission of the Church are often caught up in politics—especially for young people, who are members of a polarized social media. How are young people to navigate a culture where politics and religion sometimes seem hopelessly entangled?

C: Politics and religion have always been entangled, and they always will be, because politics is about the application of power, and religion is about loving God and bringing that love into the world to transform it with justice and mercy. When Church and state get too close, the loser is usually the Church. But that doesn’t absolve Christians from bringing their faith to bear on their lives in the public square. That includes their political convictions and their voting. The key for all of us is remembering that politics can never produce pure justice. It’s always an ambiguous and double-edged tool. We belong to God first, not this world, and our real citizenship is heaven.  We should act accordingly.

T: What makes you most hopeful about young Catholics?

C: They’re not as old as me. My generation—the boomer generation—has done a lot of good and also a lot of not-so-good. With a little patience and humility, young Catholics can build on the good we did, and learn from our mistakes, and sins, and failures. Our young people have extraordinary gifts and promise. And God never abandons those who love him. That’s a pretty good reason for hope.

The 2018 Synod on Young People, the Faith, and Vocational Discernment will conclude on Oct. 28.