And if the approaches borne of our Church’s experience can serve as models for other organizations, then all the better. Every such interaction I have had with a survivor or the loved one of a survivor has served to strengthen my resolve to remove every obstacle along the path to healing, justice, and the safest environments possible throughout our Archdiocese. Those lessons have been among the most challenging and most important of my life as a bishop. Still, even if we cannot begin to understand how any of this feels to those for whom it is an inescapable and pervasive fact of life, we have no excuse for listening with anything less than totally heartfelt and genuine compassion, and then responding in kind. Finally, it is not possible to appreciate the fortitude required to confide in another person unless one has personally felt compelled and empowered to do so. One cannot begin to comprehend the suffering in its aftermath without waking up to it every day. There is no way to assimilate the pain of abuse without having endured it. A note of caution: what follows could be triggering. Today I want to focus on another facet that seems particularly timely. Yet abuse in all its horrible forms is present throughout our society and must be addressed candidly and honestly. It can be troubling and uncomfortable for both the writer and the reader. It is never easy to write about abuse of any kind. 21 prayer service at the Crypt Church of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. Listening and responding to abuse survivorsĬardinal Wilton Gregory, the archbishop of Washington, speaks during a Sept. Vicario Parroquial para el Ministerio Hispano.
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