Catholic Whistleblowers Can Make A Difference

At the end of May, there was the announcement of a national group called the Catholic Whistleblowers. It is a group of Catholic priests and nuns who are working to stop the sexual abuse problems that have plagued Catholicism. They are practicing the Zero Tolerance that the Church for the most part seems to only give lip service to.

The group is made up of members who have been abused, those who have already made reports of abuse, and those who will be willing to stand up and work to change the leadership of the Church because they support the Catholic Church itself, just not those who have hurt it so bad by hiding and ignoring what has happened.

Although a myriad of roadblocks will pose difficulty for the Whistleblowers, in the words of Sister Maureen Paul Turlish, they are “speaking from the depth of their conscience”, a force that seems almost unstoppable.

It is a group living what they believe. Their actions have included press conferences, a letter to the new Pope, and being available to address future ways to make things better for the Church and all survivors.

The whole Church could learn from these courageous leaders.

Abuse of children and the continued silence by the offenders needs to be prevented. If you suffered, saw, or suspected such events, it is important to know that there is help out there.