My take on the awful revelations about Cardinal McCarrick's preying on seminarians and young priests, in today's @nytimes. Looking at two questions: Why would seminarians and priests not have spoken out earlier? And how could he have risen in the ranks?americamagazine.org/faith/2018/07/…
I also know the feeling of shame that I mentioned in the article as a reason for the lack of reporting. When I was a young Jesuit I told my superior about a priest, now removed from ministry, who had touched me inappropriately. My superior, who is now dead, took me seriously...
and reported it, but the priest was not removed from ministry for several years. In those intervening years, every time his name came up in conversation, I winced. Even though he was finally removed from ministry, I felt that I had failed somehow...
That contributed to my shame, which I would imagine some of these seminarians and young priests experienced as well.
