In the wake
of the grand jury report released last week, many of us find ourselves stunned,
angry, dismayed, and a dozen other emotions.
As we try to find our way forward, we need to be as well informed as we
can. Here is an initial offering of
resources that I hope might help.
The grand
jury report itself can be found on the Pennsylvania attorney general’s website here. The responses filed to the report are
available on the same page and deserve attention. First, though, I would recommend watching the
brief video on the same page, which focuses on the experience of a few of the
survivors. Their experience must inform
our way forward.
America magazine, published by the
Jesuits, has collected links to their recent coverage here.
America also has many older articles
that may help. Among them is this helpful summary of the report published by the John Jay College of Criminal
Justice on the causes and context of sexual abuse of minors by priests.
Finally
(for now), Fr. James Martin’s “Prayer for Angry Catholics” was written in 2012.
Thanks to Mary Ellen Maher for pointing me to it.
