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Analysis and commentary on issues that concern the work of FaithTrust Institute.
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Dear Pope: Do You Shake Your Head and Wonder?
Jun 02, 2016I am sure that there must be some nights that you can’t sleep because you are carrying a load heavier than most of us can even imagine. But I can only assume that some nights are especially hard. A few months ago, Monsignor Tony Anatrella told new Bishops that they did not have a duty to report allegations of the sexual abuse of children to law enforcement. Not only did this instruction contradict your current policy of requiring reporting, but your Commission for the Protection of Minors was not even involved in the training. As soon as it hit the news, Cardinal O'Malley, who chairs your Pontifical Commission on the Protection of Minors, came out asserting strongly that Bishops have a moral obligation to report disclosures of the sexual abuse of children to law enforcement. It will not be a surprise to you that Cardinal O'Malley’s position is one that I strongly support for all clergy in all faith communities. And then there’s Cardinal Pell, who is now one of your closest advisors at the Vatican.
GUEST BLOG: Lessons From Rebecca: Gender in the Bible
May 13, 2016 — Categories: Current Events, Jewish, Sexual ViolenceThere has been a recent spate of attempts to reverse progressive laws protecting people of all genders from discrimination. These include the repeal of laws in North Carolina requiring restrooms to be accessible to transgender people, the so-called ‘Potty Law’ HB2. Some of the proponents of repealing these laws are faith communities believing the Bible only accounts for two genders, male and female. The Bible’s Five Books of Moses (Torah) passed down over the millennia speaks to our origins and how we define ourselves, even in modern times. The Chapter Gen. 24:14, 16, and 28, called ‘Life of Sarah’ is one of them.
Dear BYU: Rape is Not Pre-Marital Sex
May 05, 2016 — Categories: Current Events, Sexual ViolenceMadi Barney, a student at Brigham Young University in Salt Lake City, Utah, reported being raped off campus to the Provo, Utah, police. She did not report it to the university and did not want them to know. But a police officer shared the report with the university and they have gone after her for violating the “Honor Code” of the university. The Code prohibits students from inviting members of the opposite sex into their rooms, mandates chastity and modest dress and no drugs or alcohol. Barney has been told that she cannot register for future classes at the school.
GUEST BLOG: The Child Victims’ Act and Restoring Spiritual Wellbeing
Apr 26, 2016 — Categories: Sexual Abuse by Clergy, Child Abuse, MultifaithApril is Sexual Assault Awareness and Child Abuse Prevention Month in the United States, coinciding with a renewed attempt for New York legislators to ratify the Child Victims' Act (A2872A/S63A). The proposed legislation, sponsored by Assemblywoman Margaret Markey (D-Queens) and Senator Brad Hoylman (D-Manhattan), is being reintroduced after previous failure to pass. It would eliminate the statute of limitations (SOL) for prosecuting perpetrators of sex crimes against children, and would create a one-year window for victims to bring civil suits against perpetrators in cases where the statute has already expired.
GUEST BLOG: Death and Taxes, Trust and Faith by Susan J. Katz
Mar 30, 2016 — Categories: MultifaithEncounters with death are a usual and inevitable part of my work as a hospital Chaplain. Having a day bookended by Death and Taxes, such as I had last week however, caused me to pause and reflect on how the secular and the holy can become one and the same. My day began with Taxes. Oy. The annual day of dread for Susan J Katz.
GUEST BLOG: What Stories Are Worth Telling? by Sarah Butler
Mar 02, 2016Watching the Oscars on Sunday night, you might almost start to think that we’ve reached a tipping point in terms of the cultural acknowledgement of violence against women and children, and that at some point in the last 40 years, we activists have made a sizeable dent in the wall of denial and silence. Could it be? Here’s my evidence. You can sort out the reality, or my wishful thinking, yourself.
When It's 'Our Turn'?
Feb 18, 2016 — Categories: Domestic ViolenceI have spoken with hundreds of victims, survivors and perpetrators of sexual and domestic violence over the forty years of my ministry. Teenagers, adults abused as children, young and old adults abused by a spouse, assaulted by a co-worker, a pastor, an acquaintance, or a stranger. What I had not yet realized was how many of my senior peers are now facing the abuse of their adult daughters and sons by a spouse or partner.
What Would Jeremiah Say?
Jan 13, 2016 — Categories: Clergy Ethics & Healthy Boundaries, Child Abuse, Sexual Abuse by ClergyThe recent film Spotlight highlights the investigation by The Boston Globe into the coverup of child sexual abuse by priests in the Boston Archdiocese. Using the lens of investigative journalism, it takes us as viewers/bystanders through the years of complicity by the legal system, The Globe, and the Catholic Church— as well as the active efforts by the Church to hide the abuse and protect the pedophile priests at the expense of the laity. The sexual abuse of children by faith leaders is no longer “news”. Sadly enough, it is too common to be “news”. But what is informative and important about Spotlight for those of us who are bystanders to these atrocities is the laying out of the institutional practices that have allowed this suffering to go on for decades. In November, 2015, the National Center for Victims of Crime called for a national commission on child sexual abuse to investigate institutional settings where children are particularly vulnerable and where we know there has been a history of child sexual abuse.
Spotlight: Diving Deep & Surfacing
Dec 31, 2015 — Categories: Current Events, Child Abuse, Sexual Abuse by ClergySpotlight is the name of the team of Boston Globe reporters who investigated the Archdiocese of Boston in 2001 when the puzzle pieces began to fall into place surrounding the sexual abuse of children by priests. Their reporting yielded a Pulitzer Prize and finally blew the lid off the long-standing conspiracy of silence surrounding the protection of priest pedophiles in the Catholic Church. Spotlight, the film, is indeed a cautionary tale for us all. While non-Catholics might be tempted to walk away from the theater with just a tinge of self-righteousness, assuming that this is a Catholic problem, don't give into that temptation. And let us not spend time arguing (as some commentators have) over whether "the problem" is greater or lesser in our faith community. Neither will serve us well.
GUEST BLOG: A Safe Place to Call Home {16 Days of Activism: Stories That Inspire Our Work} by Rev. Amy Gopp
Dec 10, 2015December 10, 2015 - Human Rights Day We all deserve a safe place to call home. The right to seek a safe place to live and the right to shelter are fundamental human rights as named in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which we celebrate today. Tragically, for victims and survivors of gender-based violence, no matter where they live, home is often the most dangerous place in the world. In fact, for far too many, it can be deadly to stay home.
GUEST BLOG: Inspiration for Prevention {16 Days of Activism: Stories That Inspire Our Work} by Rev. Pat Simpson
Dec 08, 2015I saw the film "Spotlight" last week. It celebrates the intrepid Boston Globe journalists who exposed sexual abuse of children in parishes and schools of the Boston Archdiocese, and the cover-up by church authorities that made it possible. The story ran early in 2002, and won a Pulitzer the next year. The movie is winning awards, too, leading to some good visibility. The next day I went to work at my church. I punched in the four digit code for the security door into the daycare space. I opened the door to the pastor's office, with its clear window for safety's sake. Most days I don't notice these precautions we take to keep kids and vulnerable adults safe from abuse. They are facts of life now. But that morning I sat down at my desk full of gratitude.
GUEST BLOG: Bettie Williams Watson: Ending the Silence, Defeating the Shame {16 Days of Activism: Stories That Inspire Our Work}
Dec 07, 2015 — Categories: Current Events, Christian, Domestic ViolenceI met Bettie Williams-Watson 8 years ago when she presented a workshop on domestic violence at a faith-based women’s conference in Seattle. Bettie told a compelling story about her abusive relationship with her husband, a minister who would batter her during the week but was careful to avoid hitting her or kicking her on parts of her body where bruises could be seen in church on Sunday. He was over 7 feet tall with huge feet and hands and she describes him as a lethal weapon. One day she realized that if she stayed he would kill her and their children.
It Takes Courage: Rev. M.L. Daniel on Activism
Dec 03, 2015 — Categories: Current Events, Violence Against WomenHave you read the comment section on any of the headline news stories recently? I have to admit that I frequently make the mistake of reading the comments and it never fails that I am appalled, saddened and ashamed of what many people post in the name of Christianity.
GUEST BLOG: "My Little Pony Snowsuit" {16 Days of Activism: Stories That Inspire Our Work}
Dec 01, 2015She was proud of her pink My Little Pony snowsuit and she needed to go to the bathroom. That was my introduction to Mimi, a preschool-aged girl in the gym of a local church drop-in center. She was there with her Dad and 2nd grade brother, Lemar, as they waited to be transported to an emergency shelter that operated on bitter cold nights.
16 Days of Activism: The Stories That Inspire Our Work
Nov 25, 2015As we approach the end of 2015, it's once again time for the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence. As we pause to consider “activism” and to take stock of our efforts, it is sobering to realize that we are still having to make the case that “Black Lives Matter,” that women should have access to contraception, that one should be able to attend college or serve in the military without being raped, that climate change is a deeply disturbing fact, that terrorism, whether in the home or in the street, is an affront to every faith tradition and that we are all a year older. How is it that we stay on these paths, seeking justice, safety, equality and healing?
GUEST BLOG: "I Will Survive": A Celebration for a New Year
Sep 10, 2015 — Categories: JewishI still remember the energy surging through my body that New Year's Eve as the words of Gloria Gaynor's I Will Survive echoed through the room. Sadness mixed with joy of freedom transformed into renewed confidence as I danced with friends welcoming a new year. I am a survivor; I will survive. I've moved from putting one foot in front of the other to dancing in celebration of a new secular year.
How Many? How Long?
Jul 08, 2015 — Categories: Current Events, Sexual Violence, Sexual Abuse by ClergyThis might sound like the start of a bad joke: What do a theologian (John Howard Yoder) and a comedian (Bill Cosby) have in common? More than you might imagine—and I’m not laughing. Both were major figures in their fields. Both were widely regarded and respected, even adored by many. Both were powerful men with a sense of entitlement. With impunity, both sexually abused scores of young women who trusted them for years. Both were shielded by their peers and colleagues from any meaningful accountability.
Dear Dylann Roof
Jun 23, 2015 — Categories: Current EventsDear Dylann Roof: When you gunned down 9 people in a Charleston church who were sharing Bible study with you, you said, “I have to do it. You rape our women and you’re taking over our country. And you have to go.” Author Lisa Wade described this as “benevolent” sexism. I find this an overly generous label.
GUEST BLOG: Ramadan Reflections: Recharging for Social Justice Work by Afeefa Syeed
Jun 15, 2015 — Categories: MuslimI am an aspiring potter and love to be covered in clay. I’m excited about the process of what clay does even more than what products my playing with mud might yield. More than anything else, being a potter gives me head and heart space to reflect on humility, patience, submission and being passionately hopeful that whatever comes out of the process is just what I needed to learn, experience, and live to be who I am. Sometimes there’s a pretty pot I can pour tea out of. In many ways this is how Ramadan is for me as an activist. Essentially, fasting is denying yourself something, but it really becomes more about how that denial takes place, what process makes it be more than just not eating or drinking. Principles from Ramadan are critical then in how they reinforce my work as an advocate...
Dear Pope: It's Me Again
Jun 11, 2015 — Categories: Current Events, Child Abuse, Christian, Sexual Abuse by ClergyDear Pope: It’s been a while since I wrote to you. Like many people around the world, I’ve been watching your tenure closely, particularly regarding the sexual abuse of children. I want to commend you for your move to establish a tribunal for holding bishops accountable for their actions to protect abusers and stonewall investigations or their inaction to protect children in response to sexual abuse by priests. I also commend you for actually listening to the Papal Commission you established in late 2013 to advise you on these matters.
