Clergy sexual abuse: A cry for restorative justice

Apr 05, 2010

— filed under: Support, Practice, Victim, Restitution

At this hour, I would guess that some around the world are weary of the news stories of abuse that have rocked the Catholic Church in recent weeks. But to me, it's a reminder of how far we have to go to heal the injuries suffered by the victims (survivors) of abuse.

Clergy sexual abuse: A cry for restorative justice

As a restorative justice advocate and practitioner I continue to believe that only through true offender accountability in the church can victims heal and be restored, as much as possible.

How would restorative justice be applied, especially at this juncture? I believe applying restorative justice would be one necessary and critical response to these mounting abuse cases while other actions are also needed. There are many news reports and recommendations by credible sources urging a complete investigation of the Catholic Church which would include investigating whether there has been an effort to "cover up" abuse cases over many years. I do not disagree.

Yet, restorative justice is victims-driven and victims-centered with the goal of seeing survivors of crime heal. Restorative justice does not ignore the need for offenders to make things right (directly, if possible) while urging offenders to take steps to commit (to their victims) that they will change their actions in the future.

I am linking you to two documents. One is from the BBC which provides an update on the abuse scandal.

The other document is a piece I wrote here in May of 2009. Now, the need for restorative justice is more pressing than when I wrote this article and earlier articles in 2001 and 2002.

If you are led to get actively involved in seeking a way to repair the harm done in the lives of victims while urging offender accountability please contact me. If you are a victim of abuse you are encouraged to contact me as well. Many in the restorative justice movement are discussing how best to assist at this time. May we support and equip the victims on their journey hopefully towards some healing and restoration while standing firm on the side of truth and justice.

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But to me, it's a reminder of how far we have to go to heal the injuries suffered by the victims (survivors) of abuse. As a restorative justice advocate and practitioner I continue to believe that only through true offender accountability in the church can victims heal and be restored, as much as possible. How would restorative justice be applied, especially at this juncture? I believe applying restorative justice would be one necessary and critical response to these mounting abuse cases while other actions are also needed. There are many news reports and recommendations by credible sources urging a complete investigation of the Catholic Church which would include investigating whether there has been an effort to "cover up" abuse cases over many years. I do not disagree. Yet, restorative justice is victims-driven and victims-centered with the goal of seeing survivors of crime heal. Restorative justice does not ignore the need for offenders to make things right (directly, if possible) while urging offenders to take steps to commit (to their victims) that they will change their actions in the future. I am linking you to two documents. One is from the BBC which provides an update on the abuse scandal. The other document is a piece I wrote here in May of 2009. Now, the need for restorative justice is more pressing than when I wrote this article and earlier articles in 2001 and 2002. If you are led to get actively involved in seeking a way to repair the harm done in the lives of victims while urging offender accountability please contact me. If you are a victim of abuse you are encouraged to contact me as well. Many in the restorative justice movement are discussing how best to assist at this time. May we support and equip the victims on their journey hopefully towards some healing and restoration while standing firm on the side of truth and justice. Document Actions Send this Print this Response to Lisa Rea's Article Posted by Dale Coker at Apr 06, 2010 04:56 AM I wholeheartedly support the use of restorative justice in helping to heal the abuse issues in the Catholic Church. I've seen it work miracles before, and I feel that it can work miracles again. There are Bishops who want to embrace restorative justice as a means to help heal the rifts in the Church. If you are a concerned Catholic, read up on restorative justice and present its inherently Christian principles to your Bishop's office. Lisa Rea's Justice and Reconciliation Project is an ideal source for information on RJ. Only discussion and meaningful reconciliation can help heal these problems. clergy abuse & restorative justice Posted by Lisa Rea at Apr 06, 2010 04:39 PM Thank you, Dale, for your comments. I think that would be a great way for Catholics to express their support for restorative justice. And as you say, it is hard to know how many Catholics know of restorative justice and how it could be applied to the clergy abuse cases. I, like you, am convinced restorative justice could be of great value. JRP, The Justice and Reconciliation Project, is no longer in operation. However, our work has morphed in many ways. If the readers of this blog are interested in RJ and the subject of clergy abuse in the Catholic Church then contact me at lrea@mindsync.com. Thank you for your ideas and comments, Dale. Lisa Rea Rea Consulting California-U.S. yes Posted by james loewen at Apr 14, 2010 04:37 PM I agree that there is substantial need to shift the response to harm in our churches from denial, defensiveness and blaming to genuine engagement, openness to the healing power of Jesus and safe, acountable and people driven processes. I do not agree that the RJ movement or processes are primarily victim driven at this point, not in Canada anyway. There is still a disjoint between the victims' movement and the RJ movement up here. This is not to say that individual programs and individual processes haven't accheived this goal, but as a movement we are not there yet. Canada and restorative justice Posted by lisa rea at Apr 15, 2010 05:28 AM James, thanks for your comments. Can you give us more feedback about your work in Canada (including identifying yourself for those reading this blog)? Do you think that restorative justice should be more victims-driven than it is now? If there is a "disconnect" between the victims movement, as you call it, and the restorative justice movement why do you think that is? Lisa Rea California Victims and RJ Posted by Lynette at Apr 15, 2010 05:49 AM On victims and RJ, I've heard concerns before that RJ is more offender focused. Actually from my experiences, it is actually rather easy to focus on offenders. A few years ago, some individuals in the restorative justice community took this concern seriously and undertook a project to dialogue with the victim community. They published the results in a report call the Taking Victims and their Advocates Seriously: A Listening Project. It's online at http://www.restorativejustice.org/10fulltext/mika/. Regards, Lynette RJ: victims centered or offender focused? Posted by Lisa Rea at Apr 15, 2010 06:56 PM Lynette, good to link that project (the Listening Project). I think those who practice restorative justice, or advocate for it, need to always check themselves to ask: is the victim involved? how does this repair the harm to the victim (and community)? does it encourage healing? does it hold offenders accountable? Sometimes good criminal justice reform work is called restorative justice when it is not. We could do more to involve victims in this work at every step (which means more public education, more outreach and recruitment). Lisa Rea priest abuse Posted by katherine van wormer at May 01, 2010 06:27 PM Earlier I searched for an example of a priest abuse case using restorative justice and I did find one case reported in Rhode Island.The story was in the Boston Globe in 2002. I discuss this story in my article, Restorative Justice: A Model for Personal and Societal Empowerment in the Jouranl of Religion and Spirituality in Social Work, 2004. Everyone involved was highly satisfied in the resolution. One drawback was although high church officials were present to apologize, the personal offender was not present. Add comment You can add a comment by filling out the form below. Plain text formatting. Name (Required) Tell us your name. E-Mail (Required) Enter your e-mail address. Subject (Required) Comment (Required) Are you a human? (Required)