CTA Responds to Grand Jury Report Detailing Massive Sexual Abuse Cover-Up

Call To Action, a Catholic organization committed to justice and equality, is horrified by the findings of a recent grand jury report, which uncovered child sexual abuse by over 300 Catholic priests in Pennsylvania, and a systematic cover-up of those crimes by their dioceses.

“This grand jury report, combined with the recent revelations about Theodore McCarrick, make it clear that the sexual abuse crisis in our Church is nowhere near over,” said Zachary Johnson, Executive Director of Call To Action. “As the report itself states, while we’ve seen reports of child sexual abuse by clergy for decades, we have never before seen a report of such magnitude. This should be a wake up call for every Catholic in the United States, and a call to action for anyone whose life is affected by the Catholic Church, which is to say everyone.”

“The painful truths outlined in this report could be a moment of true conversion for our Church,” noted Johnson. “It is clear that the Church’s policy of treating the priesthood like a ruling class has been a failed experiment– one with horrible ramifications for children and other vulnerable people. The time has come for a true renewal in our Church. One that returns the priesthood back to the servant leadership embodied by Jesus, and that treats all people– lay and ordained alike– as equals. We should be prepared for the bishops to respond with somber statements of commitment to do better–some of them may even suggest lay oversight in the coming review process. Even this is not enough. It’s time for the Catholics to re-open the Vatican II dialogue about how our Church is structured.”

In December 2017, Call To Action joined FutureChurch and Women’s Ordination Conference in launching #CatholicToo, a campaign that encourages Catholics to speak out about their experiences of abuse and misogyny in the era of #MeToo. “These cases are reminders of the power that survivors hold to bring those accountable to justice. I hope this will encourage other Catholics to join #CatholicToo in speaking truth to power.”

People who want more information on the #CatholicToo movement, or who want to share their own stories, can go to www.catholictoo.org.