Thread by @katierouquine

How is it that after all this, all this time, all this waiting – what you have to present to victims and the #ACNAtoo team are two firms who do not abide by the most basic requests for an abuse investigation?

#ACNAtoo

How is it that even after Church of the Resurrection and the Upper Midwest Diocese's leadership committed to an open, fair, and survivor-centered investigation, you, PRT, are backpedaling on those commitments?

Bishop Stewart himself stated in his June 29th, 2021 letter, "Let me speak to the independent review...
I want to speak to the concerns that have been raised about the firm’s process, concerns that I can imagine some of you may share.

"First, the full report will be made public and will protect victim identities. Our intention in hiring GRS has always been transparency and we plan on a full public release of the report in keeping with that intent. We seek to walk in the light.

Second, our agreement with the investigative firm is that the diocese will not assert any privilege over the report nor make any edits to it. Third, the scope of the investigation is diocesan-wide, and will include any shortcomings of the diocese".

Why would you not uphold those commitments? If you desire to walk in the light and to conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the Gospel (the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which was decidedly not about politeness or protecting reputations or maintaining institutions,

and CERTAINLY wasn't about any of these things over protecting the vulnerable and heralding the truth), why would you willingly decide to not commit to waive ACNA privilege and provide survivors with the full investigative report? Why?

That's not a rhetorical question. If that's really the choice you're making – which certainly is your prerogative – you ought to be able to own it, take responsibility for it, and back it up.

Why won't you hire GRACE, as the leading Christian abuse investigation firm? Currently it appears as though you want to skirt accountability. If there is a good explanation, then offer it.

This isn't something that falls under the "we really can't say because of confidentiality issues" umbrella. Stand up straight, find your backbone, and state your case if you really believe it to be a defensible one.

Because currently, this all appears
Disturbing
Embarrassing
Disgraceful
And you should know better.

You leave people with two choices at such a crossroads as this: (1) to see you as willfully manipulating, stacking the deck, and abdicating your role to seek the truth – and therefore doing harm,

or (2) to see you as foolishly and short-sightedly putting your heads in the sand by not doing your research, not listening to abuse experts about best practices – and therefore, though not intentionally seeking to do harm, doing harm all the same.

Neither is a good look.

It is incredibly disheartening to see this happen after fragilely holding onto hope and charity towards you, the Province, and the Archbishop, alongside holding grief, sorrow, and anger on survivors' behalfs.

You CAN do better than this. For the sake of a watching world, I hope to God you will.

Grieved,
Katie Robichaud"

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