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Catholics reveal reaction to crisis How have Catholics reacted to the past year of news about clergy abuse and diocesan efforts to resolve that issue? The Evangelist asked a sampling of people from around the Albany Diocese for their reflections: PARISH COUNCILS * "As the year has proceeded, I sense a slow but steady shifting of mood: from a numbness to a rising reaction of 'enough!' as much of our local media has been relentless in not just pursuing the story, but in attacking the Church in general and Bishop Hubbard specifically. There is a sense that what our Church really is about and all the good we do is virtually ignored. "Most people feel strongly supportive [of the Bishop]. Clearly, our local media don't understand -- in fact, refuse to even try to understand -- Bishop Hubbard's position at the [Dallas] meeting last year. And yet the same 'investigative reporters' demand automatic assumption of credibility [for anonymous accusers], while they castigate any and every response our Bishop and Diocese make. The lack of proportionality, the use of news stories as opinion vehicles and the inaccuracies that completely distort the picture are incredible! "I marvel at [the Bishop's] continued humility to accept responsibility and seek solutions, when many of us would have long ago reacted angrily and struck out." David Mousaw, MD, a pediatrician and member of the pastoral council at Our Lady of the Annunciation Church, Queensbury *** * "The support for [the Bishop's] leadership is evident in our parish. We are aligned with Bishop Hubbard and the diocesan plans for proactive behavior to address this crisis. There is a strong determination among the parishioners that this crisis will not bring down our faith or interfere with how we choose to progress in our faith." Jane Moore, pastoral council chairperson (and Otsego County Deanery representative to the Diocese), St. Mary's parish, Oneonta *** ADVOCACY GROUP * "New cases are still being brought to the lay press....This exacerbates the sense that the promise of transparency hasn't been fulfilled. I would be content with some indication of numbers. Not names. We respect the Bishop and his dedication to due process, but I would like to see full disclosure. How many priests? How many victims? Do we have a major problem in the Albany Diocese? To have [one-at-a-time] instances continuing to hit the press adds to the frustration and adds to the appearance of non-disclosure by the Diocese." Andrew Grebe, spokesman, Albany Voice of the Faithful, a lay group *** YOUNG ADULTS * "As far as the young adult community, we didn't lose any parishioners....I think our community has recovered fairly well." Scott Stepenuck, parishioner, Corpus Christi Church, Round Lake, where the pastor was removed a year ago due to past abuse * "I hate the media coverage. I wish they would just leave it alone. The people...are tired of it. We felt that when the allegations came out in the Albany area, the media were very disappointed that it wasn't worse than it was." Cynthia Stepenuck, parishioner, Corpus Christi Church, Round Lake TEENAGERS * "There are a few different points of view among teens at Spa Catholic. First, it's basically a matter of trust. That is the biggest issue. They always mention counseling for both sides and prison time for the offender, if it is warranted. They feel that this year has been a step in the right direction. We talked about the hotline a little bit, and they thought that was a good thing to do. The other reaction is that they don't say anything at all. It's almost as if they don't know what to say or what's acceptable. It absolutely has not affected their faith." Barbara Joseph, campus minister, Saratoga Central Catholic High School (Reported by Pat Pasternak and Karen Dietlein, staff writers) (6/19/03) |