By Chido Nwangwu
I commend the leadership of the Catholic Church in New Jersey, United States of America for owning up to sexual abuse by its priests and agreeing to pay compensation to victims.
In what is clearly one of the largest cash settlements involving the Catholic Church in the United States, the New Jersey Catholic diocese of Camden has agreed to pay $87.5 million to settle claims involving its clergy in the latest sex abuse case with 300 alleged victims.
Only three years ago, in 2019, as many as 180 Catholic priests were identified as sexually abusive of parishioners in New Jersey! Consequently, millions of Christians and non-Christians have followed the dispiriting and scandalous cases of the sexual abuses inflicted on young people, teenagers, both male and female by, mainly, Catholic priests.
Those criminal actions, which have destroyed the directions and moral purposes of their victims are, fundamentally, inexcusable; regardless of what the double-speaking apologists for those errant, destructive “priests” cook up as “additional ways” to look at the issue.
I believe that the victims, some of the leaders and members the Catholic Church in the U.S need to be commended, continually, for having the courage — no matter how many decades late and it must be noted rising beyond substantial resistance inside some of the Catholic dioceses — to expose, investigate some of those “priests”.
A few days ago, after Easter 2022 came these words from the diocesan Bishop Dennis Sullivan: “I want to express my sincere apology to all those who have been affected by sexual abuse in our Diocese… My prayers go out to all survivors of abuse, and I pledge my continuing commitment to ensure that this terrible chapter in the history of the Diocese of Camden, New Jersey never happens again.”
The abuses reportedly occurred from the 1950s into the 1990s. Significantly, attorney Jeff Anderson who is representing 74 of the victims of the Catholic priests noted, “The credit goes to the survivors for standing up for themselves and the truth.” The agreement, which also seeks protection for children has been filed with U.S. Bankruptcy Court for consideration before a U.S. bankruptcy judge.
You may recall that in 2003, $85 million was the settlement amount in the Catholic clergy sexual abuse and molestation problems and lawsuits in the Boston area. On a larger scale, the truth is that this issue is not only Catholic issue or a U.S issue! The sad reality is there could still be hundreds, thousands of devious “priests” still within the global communities of the Catholic church and non-Catholic denominations who are secretly, sexually abusing and exploiting some of their parishioners.
It’s unfortunate and unworthy if those dubious counterfeit “priests” continue to run amok in their evil ways without their own actions meeting what I’ll simply characterise as the light of scrutiny and remedial responsibilities.
In my opinion, $87 million is not the end of the quest for justice. It’s not too much to have our children, boys and girls, husbands, and wives to be safe and secure in and around those randy and rapacious “priests.” It’s never too late!
…Dr. Nwangwu serves as Founder & Publisher of the first African-owned, U.S-based newspaper on the internet – USAfricaonline.com
