Is the Catholic Church Insulting Victims by Offering Help with Healing?

 

Bob Enyart interviews Michael Smilanic on the breaking wide open of the case of the former priest with the Denver archdiocese, Fr. Neil Hewitt, who admitted on 9News to molesting Michael, Stuart Suacke (who later committed suicide), and others. Hewitt estimated he had harmed 8, maybe 9" boys in this manner. Bob and Michael discuss the problem of priests hiding behind the "seal" of the confessional and how that should change. When Hewitt confessed the molestation to others, to priests who were responsible for the welfare of their "flock", they should never have allowed him to hide behind that ugly cloak of secrecy. Bob also asks Michael about the potential of victims' lawsuits against the archdiocese, something that BEL strongly advocates. The Catholic Church has long been disingenuousness and has lacked contrition by dealing with the molestations by an attorney/risk-management approach rather than by a ministry approach. This disingenuousness is undoubtedly why some victims see an offering of help with "healing process" itself as yet an insult. What the Denver Archdiocese needs to do is make reparations, and compensate victims, and shut up already about any "healing process".