LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
Speak Out |
As the dreadful news of yet more law suits against the Roman Catholic Church continues to make headlines, I find myself growing increasingly saddened and alarmed. The travesty of these horrible breaches of trust is mind boggling, both in the sheer numbers of people directly involved and in the length of time that the violations of sacred bonds has elapsed. The damage to the abused and the illness of the abusers is so great that I cannot imagine how justice can be fully addressed. This crisis will echo across our nation and within our religious institutions for generations.
I'm concerned for the majority of priests serving their churches and their vows faithfully. The burdens of their callings must seem especially heavy even as their faithful parishioners struggle with difficult questions and troubling emotions. My prayers are with them as they continue to answer God's call. The destructive power of sexual abuse radiates outward to affect everyone who seeks to live a faithful and trusting life. It inspires hatred and alienation wherever it can touch people's fears. I hear fear and blind anger in the voices condemning our gay neighbors and who use the current crisis as an excuse to continue economic injustice and deny gay citizens access to civil rights. Like the Roman Catholic priests and parishioners, gays who live moral and productive lives must bear the unfair burdens of guilt by association. I hope that caring people of all faiths will lend their support to the Roman Catholic Church as it seeks to end the secrecy and begin healing. We must also be careful to recognize the difference between sexual orientation and sexual abuse. With reckless blaming, we risk amplifying the poisonous power already disrupting our society. The Rev. Keith Goheen, Unitarian Universalists of Southern Delaware I read a letter online written by someone angered with his perceptions of generalized "Catholic Church bashing." Clearly the most troubling issue is the popular supposition that gay men in the priesthood are more likely to act inappropriately with children and youth. The result of this has been defensive posturing on many sides. I must state that I am fairly certain that the majority of gay men serving as priests are doing so honorably. However, there needs to be a dialogue within our own community concerning the nature of the Catholic Church and how homophobia and fear concerning human sexuality within and outside the church have made the Catholic church appear as a "viable" option for frightened gay men who have not come to terms with their sexuality, and who seek the cloistered confines of the church while leading double lives where secrets are carefully guarded, and at the same time, receiving public admiration for belonging to a religious organization which serves as a moral standard for millions of people. For priests who are closeted and ashamed of their sexuality, they may seek erotic contact with the young because doing so with an adult might feel threatening. Additionally, there are issues concerning sexual power dynamics. Young people, for the most part, have been taught to comply with requests from adults and authority figures. Aside from many gay priests who have honestly felt a "calling" and who are at peace with issues of human sexuality, and are willing to work within the church structure in service to God and community, other gay men would not want to be priests. People find other ways to self actualize. We need to continue the work to make this society less homophobic and sex phobic. If and when we ever live in a society where being lesbian or gay is truly not an issue will we have more people who can come to terms with their sexuality and make better and more informed life choices. People will find that they gain a sense of self worth and acceptance by virtue of being a human being. When that happens, fewer people will chose the military because of a personal need for self discipline, fewer people will choose to become police officers because of a personal need to enforce or control others (I call it the "Bully Syndrome"), and, less men will consider becoming priests solely because of a personal need to have societal acceptance while at the same time, hiding from themselves and their sexuality. I think that while the majority of priests are caring, competent people, there is a significant minority of priests that are in need of a good therapist. Aurelio Font, San Francisco, CA Over the past two years, eleven articles have appeared in Letters as being written by me under a "My Opinion" column. I am writing to inform the readers of Letters that these articles were not mine. I found these articles and submitted them as my own. I realize what I have done is wrong and I am very sorry for my actions. I especially want to apologize to the author, Kim Ficera. I am very sorry for taking her work and claiming it as my own. The actions I took are inexcusable. I am very sorry. Kim is a gifted writer and deserves full credit for her work. I am sorry for all the angst that I have caused her. Secondly, I want to apologize to the readers of Letters. I am sorry that I deceived you into believing that "my opinion" was really my opinion. I also want to apologize to the staff of CAMP Rehoboth. My actions are not reflective of them but of myself. I take full responsibility for my plagiarizing these articles. Sincerely, Sal Seeley The Board of Director's of CAMP Rehoboth, while acknowledging the severity and embarrassment of Sal's actions, also acknowledges the great work he does for the CAMPsafe program and his continued service to this community. His public apology is acceptable to Kim Ficera, and he will serve a period of probation. |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 12, No. 05, May 17, 2002. |