Between 650 and 700 people attended the session. The tone was one of anger at the Church. About 75% of the people were 50 years old or older. About 25% appeared to be younger than 50 years old. There was an equal distribution of men and women. About 50 people of color were present. People seemed to come from many different parishes.

Six major themes surfaced in the small group reports and individual responses.

1. Credibility of the Church, trust of the hierarchy
Many people expressed dismay and anger at how the hierarchy has handled the sexual abuse issues involving minors and priests. The Archdiocese has covered up in secrecy the names of abusers who are still working in parishes and hospitals. Many felt betrayed by this. Many questioned why it has taken the Church so long to deal with this tragedy. Many thought the bishops are culpable despite psychiatrist's views—abuse is abuse; sin is sin.

Project Benjamin needs to be outside of diocesan control. Be sure procedures are in place that protect the identity of victims/survivors.

The Archdiocese gives the appearance of arrogance, aloofness, and no support for victims/survivors. To overcome this, the names of all offending priests need to be made public. Many stated that they just cannot believe the hierarchy. There are no checks and balances in the Church. “Control” seems to be the dominant way of operating.

Trust must be earned. It will take many years for trust to be restored. Some stated that they do not trust the Archdiocese to make the needed changes because there is no response to letters and phone calls are not put through.

2. Seminary Screening, Training and Recruitment
Many, many commented on how there needs to be more effective screening of and training of seminarians and greater emphasis on sexuality formation in the seminary and after ordination. Some wondered what effect this scandal would have on recruiting candidates for the priesthood.

3. Optional Celibacy, Women in the Priesthood
Many, many groups commented on the need to promote optional celibacy, married men priests and women priests. It is more important to be a Eucharistic Church, than to limit ordination to celibate males. One person objected to the issue of sexual abuse by priests being tied to the ordination issue.

4. Financing the care of victims/survivors
We need to know how much this scandal has cost the Archdiocese. After all it is our money. We demand a “full financial disclosure.” We truly want all the victims/survivors to be cared for, but we are furious about payoffs.

Don’t put help for the victims/survivors on the back burner.

The Church cannot pay enough to victims/survivors and their families. They suffer for a lifetime.

Does Archdiocesan insurance pay victims/survivors?

(Questions regarding the cost of caring for victims/survivors will be released as soon as the Archdiocese can pull figures together including insurance settlements, which have been paid over the years).

5. Role of the Laity
Many felt there needed to be more involvement of the laity in all these issues. They can no longer be silenced. The “ordinary laity” should be involved. Lay people should be on priest personnel board. Parishes should be able to accept or reject a particular priest being assigned to it.

There was a call for a more democratic Church. The laity should be at the Bishops’ meetings and able to participate fully. The laity should have been in Rome with the Cardinals.

6. Special Commission Report and Zero Tolerance Policy
By and large people supported the Special Commission’s recommendations. Some wondered why it had not been widely known until tonight. Most reports reflected a strict interpretation of “zero tolerance” meaning “zero”—no exceptions for past and present offenders “Zero tolerance” should also include “sexually provocative language toward minors.” Some suggested that maybe the offender could be assigned to a ‘safe’ job away from children. A few groups acknowledged “gray areas” and questioned whether “inappropriate behavior” is too vague to put someone out of the priesthood forever.

Many noted all abuse or suspected abuse needs to be reported to police. The Archdiocese should make public the allegation and the results of the investigation especially to the parish community.

Some mentioned we need to beware of “false accusations.”

Some questioned how vigorously the Archdiocese will pursue allegations, if the DA does not.

Some suggested that if the Archdiocese is investigating, appoint an advocate for the accused as well as the victim/survivor.

The Commission needs more women, came from some groups.

Offending priests should pay to help victims/survivors.

General Comments about priests Many stated that our faithful priests need our support and encouragement. They are the vast majority. However, all priests must be accountable for their actions and not consider themselves in a protected position. There was some concern voiced that priests will be fearful of getting close to children or adults, because their actions could be misinterpreted.

Suggestions for the future

1. Implement all the recommendations immediately after the June Bishops' meting.
2. Have mandatory reporting by all clergy.
3. Provide healing for the entire Church.
4. Work to extend the Statute of Limitations.
5. Increase spending on adult formation. Most of our people have an eighth grade Church education. If they were educated, then we would not need spoon-fed questions and answers.
6. Be sure protecting our children needs to be our primary work.
7. Revisit the structure of the Church. It is dysfunctional and lends itself to the abuse of power.
8. Laicize priests who are sexual offenders.
9. Be clearer with all of us about the current procedures for handling sexual abuse allegations.
10. Include ordinary lay people on your various advisory boards.
11. Provide more information on Project Benjamin.
12. Do a better job educating parents and children about sexual abuse.
13. Understand and address the depth and width of emotions experienced by the Church: shock, disbelief, sadness, anger, fear.
14. Promote honest dialogue among entire Church.
15. Make priests financially responsible for their own crime, not the Archdiocese.
16. Encourage parishioners to trust their instincts and report behavior that does not seem right.
17. Use the word survivor, not victim.
18. Have more meetings before the end of the year.
19. Have a “Hot Line” so those who are not in Church can report abuse.

Some comments and questions not included in what has been previously stated:

1. Several groups commented that the Archdiocese should be complimented for these listening sessions and getting the input from all members.
2. Several other groups stated that this session did not meet their expectations. They were angry because they were looking for answers beyond the Question & Answer Sheet.
3. Many groups stated that there was good information on the Question & Answer Sheets.—One group said that there was nothing new on the Question & Answer Sheets.
4. How can pedophiles be licensed as counselors?
5. If Project Benjamin has been in place for 10 years, it has not done its job.
6. Pedophilia is not a disease.
7. What happens when victims/survivors report abuse beyond the Statute of Limitations?
8. What would happen if we all stop contributing to the Church?
9. We need compassion, forgiveness while still implementing the law with justice.
10. Pedophilia is an addiction and should be treated as such, but priests who have it should not be allowed to function as priests.
11. We are not comfortable with the answer to question #21… “There is really no good answer.”
12. It is a sad day when we have to monitor the priests we are suppose to look up to.
13. Some wondered if offending priests were still being paid, etc.
14. How many victims/survivors are there?
15. The fact that the “op-ed” article was attached was insulting to several groups and individuals.
16. Seal of confession should not apply in sexual abuse situations.
17. Priests who are sexual offenders should be registered as such wherever they are living.
18. Girls were also abused. Not much attention is shown to them.
19. There is confusion between homosexuality and pedophilia.
20. It looks like most allegations are fifteen to twenty years old. Does that mean that abuse is happening today, but people are afraid to come forward, and it will take them fifteen or twenty years to come forward?
21. Once a child has been abused by a priest, he or she may never be able to trust anyone.
22. Is there a difference between inappropriate sexual needs and inappropriate power needs?
23. Regarding question #19, why were not priests charged as criminals? We truly agree with the answer to question #24.
24. Why the “gag order” on those who were “paid off?” Why does the victim have to pay court costs?
25. To whom do we communicate sexual abuse outside the parish? (Call Project Benjamin at 414-769-3436).
26. How will we pull together as a Catholic community?
27. Pedophilia is a crime, don’t call it a tragedy.
28. Have victims/survivors in their own group, not mixed in with other groups of non-victims.
29. We are in mourning.
30. Can a lawyer really be objective on the commission. What about client-lawyer privilege?
31. We need to pray more.
32. Can we have input into the choice of our next Archbishop?
33. Were the therapists hand picked by the diocese? Did they have any concern for the victims/survivors?
34. If the story was not broken by the press, where would we be today?
35. The Pope needs to take leadership in all this.
36. Is there any relationship to vocations, homosexuality and the shortage of priests?
37. One person commented at length about active homosexuals in the priesthood and that there should be zero tolerance for such activity.
38. Some commented that most pedophiles were abused as children. One group noted that there is no connection between homosexuality and pedophilia. Another group noted that homosexuality should disqualify a person from ordination.
39. Priests should be held professionally accountable for their relationship with female parishioners.
40. Why did it take the Archdiocese 25 years to figure this out and the commission made up of lay people did it in only a few weeks?
41. This session should have been held at a non-Church site out of sensitivity to the victims/survivors.
42. Have we closed parishes because we needed the money to pay off victims/survivors?
43. Why are people threatened with a lawsuit when they questioned the assignment of a priest who has been accused of homosexual activity?
44. Why has not Project Benjamin brought to the public’s attention the abuse of minors by priests?
45. We’ll stick with the Church, but we need to see action now.
46. Sexuality needs to be addressed in its broadest form by the Church.
47. Empower spiritual directors to work with victims/survivors to help in healing.
48. We need a lot of contrition, mercy, forgiveness and justice.
49. Which is worse abortion, pedophilia, or adultery?