Introduction

            As followers of Christ, we can only see the Maryland Attorney General’s report, Clergy Abuse in Maryland: Report on the Investigation of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, as a heartbreaking and new reminder of a tragic and shameful time. The report details cases of child sexual abuse committed by representatives of the Church, occurring for the most part from the 1940s to the early 1990s, as well as the way the Archdiocese responded to reports of abuse.

            Few of us, including me, can begin to understand the depth of pain endured by the victims of child abuse.  On my first day as Archbishop of Baltimore in 2012, I met with victim-survivors to hear directly from them, just as I did in previous assignments and as I have continued to do on numerous occasions in my decade here in Baltimore. Their personal accounts of the lasting spiritual, psychological and emotional harm have driven my efforts, and those of my colleagues, to build on the profound culture change in the Archdiocese over the last generation. Our efforts are centered on ensuring transparency and accountability—and remaining ever-vigilant in the ongoing work of protecting children and young people, and promoting healing among victim-survivors.

            Words alone will never make up for the harm inflicted on those entrusted to the Church’s care. Acknowledging that reality, I offer this pastoral letter, first to express, as best I can, the sorrow of the Church for our failures; second, to see these tragic failures and the suffering they produced through the lens of Jesus’ redeeming love; and third, to communicate clearly the actions taken by the Church over the past several decades to root out the evil of child sexual abuse and to accompany victim-survivors. I pray that these reflections will be of some help to any of you who have suffered the evil of sexual abuse, and indeed to all of you, the members of the faithful, as you grapple with the impact of this scandal on your lives of faith and the ways it hinders the Church’s mission of faith, worship and service.

            My letter to you about this painful subject can only begin with a heartfelt apology. I offer this as my imperfect attempt. To the victim-survivors, their families and all the faithful of the Archdiocese: I see the pain and destruction that was perpetrated by representatives of the Church and perpetuated by the failures that allowed this evil to fester, and I am deeply sorry.

            Moral evil exists anytime one person takes advantage of another. This could include exploiting an immigrant, denying the safety and dignity of the elderly, or using a position of power to control a subordinate. But the sexual abuse of a child by an adult is among the worst moral evils.

            The evil of abuse was compounded by the fact that it was committed by those ordained as heralds of the Gospel and ministers of the Sacraments. The exercise of priestly ministry involves a sacred trust intended to represent the holiness of Christ and the goodness of Christ and the love Christ has for His Church and for each person. Using deception and manipulation, these evildoers exploited that sacred trust. Their heinous acts of sexual abuse inflicted untold harm on trusting and vulnerable children. It shattered their innocence and, in far too many instances, ruined their lives.

            The behavior of these abusers therefore represents the polar opposite of what any representative of the Church should be. Whenever word of this depravity reaches the consciousness of the faithful, it causes scandal and rightfully elicits anger, repulsion and anguish.

            In writing to you, I seek to reflect what victim-survivors have told me, not just since my arrival in Baltimore but over four decades of ministry as a priest and bishop.

            By mustering the courage to vocalize their experiences, victim-survivors have helped me understand how the wounds of sexual abuse remain present in their lives, often dominating their thoughts. For some, the wickedness they experienced diminishes their capacity for friendship and intimacy. For others, it has undermined their ability to function day to day, to hold down a job, and to have productive and meaningful work. Still other victim-survivors have been consumed by anger as they grapple with the consequences of the abuse they endured.

            For many victim-survivors, the sexual abuse they suffered not only damaged and even severed their relationship with the Church, but it also damaged and even severed their relationship with God. Listening to their experiences, I could only regard such wickedness by representatives of the Church as the gravest of betrayals.

            As the report details, this widespread evil tragically operated in the Church for over 50 years, spanning from the attack on Pearl Harbor through the launch of the World Wide Web. Contrary to what some have asserted publically, my predecessors did not want children to be abused but, their response to abuse was woefully inadequate. We know that during this era what was deemed shameful was often buried and the common response to scandal was to keep it quiet at all costs. This was true in families, in society, and, sadly, in the Church. We also know that there was a woefully inadequate understanding of both the lasting harm of sexual abuse and the rate of recurrence of these crimes. 

            Today, both as a Church and as a society, we have a greater understanding than in the past of the horrible impact of child sexual abuse. This, of course, does not lessen the gravity of these past sins. Tragically, the abuse of minors not only impacted members of the Church, but it is indeed a societal problem that has inflicted harm upon many individuals worldwide. To repeat, this crime is all the more tragic when present within the Church.

            Pope Francis confronted this evil in 2019 at the conclusion of the Vatican summit on child sexual abuse in the Church. He said: 

“We are thus facing a universal problem, tragically present almost everywhere and affecting everyone. Yet we need to be clear, that while gravely affecting our societies as a whole, this evil is in no way less monstrous when it takes place within the Church.

“The brutality of this worldwide phenomenon becomes all the more grave and scandalous in the Church, for it is utterly incompatible with her moral authority and ethical credibility. Consecrated persons, chosen by God to guide souls to salvation, let themselves be dominated by their human frailty or sickness and thus become tools of Satan. In abuse, we see the hand of the evil that does not spare even the innocence of children.

“No explanations suffice for these abuses involving children. We need to recognize with humility and courage that we stand face to face with the mystery of evil, which strikes most violently against the most vulnerable, for they are an image of Jesus. For this reason, the Church has now become increasingly aware of the need not only to curb the gravest cases of abuse by disciplinary measures and civil and canonical processes, but also to decisively confront the phenomenon both inside and outside the Church. She feels called to combat this evil that strikes at the very heart of her mission, which is to preach the Gospel to the little ones and to protect them from ravenous wolves.

“Here again I would state clearly: if in the Church there should emerge even a single case of abuse — which already in itself represents an atrocity — that case will be faced with the utmost seriousness. Brothers and Sisters: in people’s justified anger, the Church sees the reflection of the wrath of God, betrayed and insulted by these deceitful consecrated persons. The echo of the silent cry of the little ones who, instead of finding in them fathers and spiritual guides encountered tormentors, will shake hearts dulled by hypocrisy and by power. It is our duty to pay close heed to this silent, choked cry.”

            Even while recognizing that the Church is made up of people who, like everyone, struggle with sin, human weakness, fallibility— and will until the end of history— the sin of child sexual abuse can have no place whatsoever among those called to minister in the Body of Christ. Stewards of the Church, such as myself and my co-workers, must work tirelessly to ensure this. The sin of abuse is diametrically opposed to the will of God and must be utterly rejected by those who aspire to follow Christ and serve the members of His Body.

            For the ways the Church did not root out those who would harm children and properly address the grievous harm committed, and above all, for the suffering of each person who has been abused, I offer my deepest apology.

Healing

            St. Paul tells the Church, “…[Y]ou are Christ’s body, and individually parts of it.”[1 Cor 12:27] In Baptism we become members of the Church and a part of the Body of Christ. Thereafter, there is a bond that unites us. What happens to one of us, impacts all of us. Just as the merits of one member build up the whole of the body, so too the sins of one member of the body affect the whole of the body.

            Perhaps no greater example of this reality exists than the terrible impact of the sin of child sexual abuse on the whole of the Body of Christ. This sin, like few others, inflicts a deep wound upon the victim. This sin destroys trust, robs innocence and can inflict lifelong harm. So too does this sin wound the whole of the Church, the Body of Christ. 

            Often those who were abused are left to face a lifetime of challenges because of what they endured. But many of those who were harmed are not merely victims but truly survivors. With God’s grace and through their tremendous strength, they have been able to find a path to life, a path beyond the evil that was inflicted upon them, a path that can lead to healing. Time and time again, victim-survivors have spoken to me personally about their journey of healing. Some have spoken publicly about this journey. I am deeply grateful for their courageous witness.  

            Many have found healing through counseling. Others found healing through pastoral outreach and the life of the Sacraments. For some, healing came from remaining in the Church and for others it came in finding their way back to the Church. Many have spoken of the importance of the apology they received and the acknowledgement of what they suffered. Some expressed this feeling, saying: “At last someone listened.” Or they expressed it even more simply, “I was believed.” I have met with others who have found it impossible to forgive and to heal. Even still – however unthinkable it may be to many of us – some victim-survivors have told me they found the strength to forgive those who abused them. Some said forgiveness was not a kindness extended to their abuser but an action they needed to take for themselves to move forward. I pray that many more victim-survivors will be able to find a path to healing and peace.

            Just as sin wounds the whole of the body, so too the acts of genuine love carried out by members of the body help to heal the whole of the Body of Christ. All around us, within the Church and outside of it, we see the wounds of sin and division. The scandal of child sexual abuse is perhaps the greatest lingering wound in our Church today. Many of the Archdiocesan conversations in the Synod process reflected this reality. In Bishop Robert Barron’s Letter to a Suffering Church, he called the abuse of children, “Satan’s masterpiece.” Far from taking the blame off of perpetrators and putting it on the work of the devil, this characterization shows the sheer evil of abuse and the way this horrific sin so deeply wounds the faith of the people and leads them away from the Lord.

            In Baptism we are anointed to share in Christ’s priestly, prophetic and kingly mission. The priestly calling of all the Baptized is fulfilled by offering daily sacrifices in union with the sacrifice of Christ that atone for our sins and, indeed, for the sins of all the world. Among the Baptized, those called to share in the ministerial priesthood have a particular vocation to offer the sacrifice of the Mass and thus are to “imitate what they celebrate,” namely the self-offering love of Jesus upon the cross, made present in the Eucharist.

            Those priests who abused children did the very opposite of what it was they were ordained to do. At the same time, we must never forget that the vast majority of priests faithfully live out their vocation in lives of devoted service. Parishioners regularly comment on how much they love and respect their priest. To those priests who have selflessly and faithfully fulfilled their calling, and are rightfully worthy of our trust, I offer my heartfelt gratitude, support and encouragement.

Priests are also horrified by the crimes committed by abusers in their ranks. These men who have given their lives in service to God and their sisters and brothers often live under a cloud of suspicion. Even so, many recognize and accept this and take upon themselves the harm caused by those who tragically betrayed their vocation and stole trust related to it.

            I was particularly struck by the witness of one priest who felt the call to atone in his own life for the sins of those priests who abused children. In 2018, upon discovering that he had an inoperable brain tumor, Father John Holowell, a young priest of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, decided to offer his suffering for the healing of victims of child sexual abuse. Father Holowell, like so many priests, never harmed a child in his care. He is a good priest. Yet he felt called to offer his suffering for the healing of the wounds inflicted by abusive priests. His is one example of what we, as priests and bishops, can do to heal the wounds in the Body of Christ caused by fellow priests and bishops.

            Through prayer, penance and works of mercy, offered in love, we can all share in the healing and redemptive work of Christ. Offering himself upon the cross, Jesus made the one all-sufficient sacrifice that heals the wounds inflicted by sin, that atones for the evil committed by people of every generation. As St. Paul writes, “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh, I complete what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of His body, that is, the Church.” [Col 1:24] Through our Baptism we have been given the ability to offer our own sufferings to share in Christ’s work of redemption and of healing.

            The wound in the Body of Christ is deep indeed. So too is the need for all of us, most especially bishops and priests, to share in the work of healing this wound. Through prayer and penance we, in the grace of the Spirit, can share in this work of healing and reconciliation. I pledge to continue to do this in my own life, and I urge my brother priests to do the same and invite the faithful who feel so called to join us. Together let us seek to restore the health of the Body of Christ so marred by this terrible wound. Above all else, though, we must do this out of love for our brothers and sisters who are victim-survivors. We must never stop praying for their healing and peace.