Because it's not over

Finally. A place to get it all together. Break the Silence is where I'm going to post all the various blogs and articles I've written about Roman Catholic clergy abuse and other sexual abuse issues and have them in one place. And, because it's not over, I'll be adding new material way more often than I'd like.

If you ask almost any member of the church hierarchy, they will tell you the same thing: the clergy abuse crisis is over. (Except they won't use the word crisis, they will say scandal, which is far too mild a word to describe the criminal behavior which they covered up and enabled for so many years.) If that were the case, I would not keep hearing from victims. New victims whose abuse occurred just a few years ago, older victims who know full well what the repurcussions will be if they come forward: blame, shame and disbelief from far too many of the people who should be embracing them and anointing their wounds with tears, as Christ would do.

If that were the case, diocese around the country would not keep fighting the release of documents. They would not spend thousands of dollars paying attorneys to keep their dirty little secrets from reaching the public. They would welcome the Holy Spirit cleansing fire instead of continuing their futile efforts to hold it back. We would not keep hearing the same old story breaking in Ireland, in Canada, around the globe: survivors find the strength to come forward and are met with cruelty and resistance time and time again.

Because it's not over.