As a young teenager I was abused myself and I hope this makes me more sensitive. What’s happened within our Church has been nothing short of a catastrophe. Only the annihilation of the causes of this abuse will do, so that this can never happen again. And there’s a real chance right now that we can begin this process. Media attention is focused more than ever before on getting answers. A Royal Commission is underway. And the new Pope has promised to listen more.
That’s why I’ve started a petition on change.org calling on Pope Francis to convene a full council of the Church on this issue – and finally begin an open, transparent process to identify and remove the causes of this abuse. Will you add your name to my petition?
Almost two decades ago I helped set up some of the Church’s first responses to this issue — and I knew then and know now that this was only the beginning. I have felt the disapproval of authorities in the Church when I tried speaking out. But they will not be able to simply ignore the message any longer if enough of you join me and stand with thousands of other Catholics and victims of abuse.
I still believe in the great beauty of the Church. It’s sustained me through the worst of this ugliness. Now I have hope that we can truly confront the horror of this abuse and ensure it never happens again. Please join my petition to Pope Francis demanding a full council of the Church to address sexual abuse. Thanks for being with me!
