HEAL OUR CHURCH.org
Dear Heal Our Church (HOC) Supporter:
For so many reasons, all of us have been ready for 2020 to end and pray for a more peaceful, healthy and stable 2021. Through it all, the healing message of truth and reconciliation that HOC has pursued has become even more vital for our Church and society at large.
On a national and international level, we have seen that the work of transparency, accountability and truth telling in addressing the clergy abuse scandal continues to be an important priority. In addition to the much anticipated Cardinal McCarrick report, the attorneys general from Colorado, New York, Michigan and Florida released reports detailing the long standing coverups within the institutional Church. Also, survivors of clergy sexual abuse continue to come forward, lawsuits are filed, and clergy are identified.
However, we know that much more work needs to be done. HOC, starting with a letter to the Archbishop of Seattle last January, has sought a truth and reconciliation process that begins with the basic question of ‘how and why’ this scandal happened and continues. After being rebuffed in efforts to obtain a meeting with the Archbishop, we became even more committed to pursuing our goals of a serious and prominent role for the laity in our Church. Yes, COVID 19 and the BLM protests have changed much in our region and country but the political and moral debates surrounding those matters are directly analogous to our call for truth and reconciliation within our Church. Also, our work continues to be acknowledged by the local press, most recently in a detailed article in the Seattle Times on Jan. 2, 2020, currently available on our website along with other articles relating to our work.
As we lived through the challenges of COVID and racial concerns, HOC’s list of supporters continued to grow. Much of our work culminated in a webinar on October 3, which brought dozens of people together (both local and across the country) to discuss the need for reform while acknowledging the still powerful remnants of clericalism that continue to haunt the Church. If you haven’t, we urge you to listen to the webinar (still available on our website) and learn of our work at HOC. We have further engaged in partnerships with diocese based groups like HOC, which are organized throughout America as well as survivor groups like SNAP, ECA and reform minded colleagues with Call to Action and Voice of the Faithful.
2021 brings even more hope. We will continue to meet virtually until it is safe to do otherwise. We are committed to pursuing every avenue available in reaching our goals. We believe in the inevitability of the release of files relating to clergy abuse scandal, now stubbornly held secret by the chancery, to begin the process of healing through truth and reconciliation. We are appreciative of your loyal support and ask that you let others know of our work. Please continue to look for updates at healourchurch.org
So long to 2020 and God Bless us for 2021!
Your friends at Heal Our Church. Org