The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has gathered in Baltimore for its much anticipated Fall Assembly. Top of the docket was the current crisis, the latest wave of revelations about abuse and coverup at the highest levels: internationally–as in Chile, Australia, and Germany–as well as domestically, with the Cardinal McCarrick scandal, the PA Grand Jury Report, and the Diocese of Buffalo, NY (to name only a few).
I watched the livestream with a few women parishioners in the parish hall of St. Vincent de Paul Church as, following morning prayer, and within the first hour of the assembly, USCCB President, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, dropped a bombshell: the Vatican asked the bishops to refrain from taking any action on standards and protocols related to abuse. DiNardo apologized for the last minute nature of the change to the agenda. He said he had received the communication late last night.
It was supposed to be a Monday of prayer and meditation in preparation for tomorrow’s deliberations, but the tension and agitation of the morning’s announcement cast a heavy pall immediately and extended throughout the day, most visibly during the brief press conference in the early afternoon. It remains to be seen how bishops will navigate their discussion among themselves tomorrow in light of this abrupt and drastic shift in agenda.
But the truth is that abuse survivors and social activists–both inside and outside the church–are all too used to inaction, inertia, disappointment, and worse from the hierarchy that has repeatedly protected its medieval structure at the expense of its non-clerical membership. Even non-Catholics, thanks to films such as Spotlight or The Keepers, have some idea of the scope of betrayal.
It’s also true that men and women who are not “credentialed” as bishops continue to work tirelessly to witness the very worst and stand up for change–in courtrooms, in the media, in their families, and in their congregations.
Tonight, an informal coalition of representatives from various groups gathered outside the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront to stand peacefully shoulder-to-shoulder with the Washington, DC/Virginia branch of SNAP (Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests). During the demonstration, organizers read aloud the names of more than 100 victims who have committed suicide because of abuse at the hands of clergy. Then the group walked in a circle with flashlights to illuminate portraits of those who were abused. Sometimes the faces were their own child or young adult selves.
People standing with SNAP identified themselves as members of Voice of the Faithful, St. Vincent de Paul Church in Baltimore (in matching red hats–not to be confused with MAGA hats), Call to Action Maryland, and 5 Theses.
One survivor and advocate had traveled from Pennsylvania. Shaun Dougherty, originally from Johnstown, told me how much it meant to him–to all survivors–that people still inside the church believe victims and keep speaking out, to anyone who will listen. “I was 10 when it started,” he said, referring to his abuse by a priest. “I can’t truly say that I had faith yet. It was easy to walk away. I never had the opportunity to really benefit from the church.”
Then Dougherty nodded towards a cluster of women from St. Vincent’s Church. They stood nearby with signs that said REFORM and TRUTH and ORDAIN WOMEN NOW in bold printed red letters. “These ladies? That’s what the church is,” he said. Then he pointed upwards, towards the hotel high rise behind us, where the bishops had secluded themselves for the evening. “These men in there, I don’t think they believe in God.”
It was a sobering perception, from a man who knows all too well when “thoughts and prayers” ring hollow–or even wound. There was nary a bishop, archbishop, or cardinal on hand to testify otherwise.
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