STATEMENT FROM THE USCCB NATIONAL REVIEW BOARD CALLS FOR LAY LEADERSHIP AMID SEXUAL ABUSE CRISIS

On August 28 the USCCB’s  National Review Board (NRB) issued a statement calling for a lay-led investigation into all allegations of sexual misconduct within the Church as well as strengthening  the 2002  Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People.   The NRB is an existing Church-appointed group, established by this 2002 Charter.  In its August 28 statement, the NBR, which consists of thirteen lay persons, expressed that they are “saddened, angry and hurt by what we have learned in the past few weeks in the matters related to Archbishop McCarrick and the recent Pennsylvania Grand Jury Report.”

“The evil of the crimes that have been perpetrated reaching into the highest levels of the hierarchy will not be stemmed simply by the creation of new committees, policies, or procedures. What needs to happen is a genuine change in the Church’s culture, specifically among the bishops themselves. This evil has resulted from a loss of moral leadership and an abuse of power that led to a culture of silence that enabled these incidents to occur.

“Intimidation, fear, and the misuse of authority created an environment that was taken advantage of by clerics, including bishops, causing harm to minors, seminarians, and those most vulnerable.  The culture of silence enabled the abuse to go on virtually unchecked.

“. . . . Holding bishops accountable will require an independent review into the actions of the bishop when an allegation comes to light. The only way to ensure the independence of such a review is to entrust this to the laity, as recently suggested by Cardinal DiNardo.

“. . . . The members of the NRB have on numerous occasions pointed out the weaknesses in the Charter . . .  During the most recent revision process of the Charter, many of the recommendations made by the NRB to strengthen the Charter were not incorporated for a variety of reasons. These recommendations need to be re-considered in light of the current situation, as well as the inclusion of bishops in the Charter. The NRB also believes that the statement of Episcopal Commitment is ineffective and needs to be revised into a meaningful, actionable commitment.

“We need not only to pray, . . . we must take concrete action to address the systemic problems underlying the problem of sexual abuse in the Church.”

Click here to read the entire National Review Board statement.