Abuse in Roman Catholic Church challenges woman's faith

SAINT JOHN-The Pennsylvania Supreme Court released its report last Tuesday on sex abuse in the Roman Catholic Church, revealing that more than 1,000 children had been abused.

The news sent shock waves through the church which reached around the world.

Judith Meinert Thomas, a member of the St. John the Baptist congregation, felt those waves here in Saint John.

"It threw me into a crisis of conscience and faith," she said.

Meinert Thomas said her crisis was not with God, but with the church as an institution.

"It has absolutely been troubling for me as a Catholic. I, and many other lay Catholics, have been talking about it this week and our crisis is not with God. Our crisis of confidence is with the patriarchy as it stands."

The revelations out of Pennsylvania follow other abuse-related scandals in Chile, Australia and, most famously, in Boston nearly 20 years ago.

On Monday, the Vatican published a letter from Pope Francis in which he said the Catholic Church has not dealt properly with crimes against children and needs to prevent sexual abuses from being "covered up and perpetuated."

"We showed no care for the little ones; we abandoned them," Francis wrote.

Addressed to "People of God," the 2,000-word letter acknowledged major changes are needed in the church.

"Looking ahead to the future, no effort must be spared to create a culture able to prevent such [abuses] from happening, but also to prevent the possibility of their being covered up and perpetuated," Francis wrote.

Francis mentioned the Pennsylvania report specifically, writing the report reflected "abuse of power and of conscience."

"The heart-wrenching pain of these victims, which cries out to heaven, was long ignored, kept quiet or silenced," Francis wrote.

"But their outcry was more powerful than all the measures meant to silence it, or sought even to resolve it by decisions that increased its gravity by falling into complicity."

For Meinert Thomas, the Pope's letter was greatly welcomed and helped her regain some confidence in the church.

"This is a hallmark letter from the Pope," she said. "He is not brushing this under the table. He is bringing it out into the open where it needs to be."

While applauding Francis's letter, Meinert Thomas questioned why previous popes, bishops, cardinals and priests have not spoken out about sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, even though it has been known for years.

For her, more still needs to be done before her faith in the institution matches her faith in God.

"The whole church either has to come crumbling down and start being built back up, or it needs to start opening the doors of the church right now.

"It needs to get away from secrecy, away from the power elite and open the doors and let the people start taking control of the church."

Meinert Thomas said it will take a serious effort from the regular members of the church to make any changes happen, but she said there is evidence "all over the world" that it is possible when needed. 

"If the Pope continues to push for more openness, I would say there is a chance that it will happen."

-With files from the Washington Post.