The scourge of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church spans the globe and stretches back further than memory can reach.
Its impact on victims, many of them children, is immeasurable. The broken trust created by a church hierarchy more concerned with self-protection than the protection of the innocent and vulnerable has done incalculable damage to the faith of those who relied on the church, its priests and its teachings.
The only hope for healing is shining as much light and truth into the past as possible while upending a culture of concealment and, often, outright lies.
Dallas Bishop Edward J. Burns and his fellow Texas bishops took a crucial step in that direction Tuesday with the assurance that they will release the names of all priests credibly accused of sexual abuse of minors in this state since 1950.
Survivors of priest sexual abuse have called for the release of these names for years. They understand that to begin to face the future, we must understand the past.
Burns has taken another important step, which he announced to parishioners Tuesday night during a “ceremony of sorrow” at St. Cecilia’s Church in Oak Cliff. The diocese of Dallas has hired former law enforcement officers to review the files of all active priests and to look into any allegations that deserve greater scrutiny.
The fact that Burns has engaged professional third-party investigators, and not internal church staff, adds much-needed credibility to the review.
The files of priests, past and present, contain all sorts of information, from the mundane to the material. It will take investigators time to sort through everything. The Catholic Church should ensure that investigators have access to whatever resources are necessary to complete the process by Jan. 31, the deadline Burns announced, and that the investigation is comprehensive.
Meanwhile, everyone, not simply Catholics, should be concerned about this effort to expose the worst of the past. The Catholic Church not only includes 8.5 million people in Texas, but its charitable work also reaches millions more, often as the most viable safety net outside of the government.
The pain of this process is not finished. A true investigation into credible allegations of abuse across the state and dating back nearly 70 years is certain to turn up the names of many, many priests.
Wounds long closed, if not truly healed, will be reopened. Survivors and those who love them will see the names of those who abused them written in ink and exposed, many likely for the first time.
Hurting again those already hurt is something no one would want. But opening the pages of the past to the truth is the path to true healing for the church and those it is supposed to shepherd.
— The Dallas Morning News
