Canadian Religious Conference challenged on response to CNT article

If they are warranted, the allegations of sexual abuse and community neglect described in the article "Desolation Angel" (CNT--May 18) constitute yet another example of the church's inability to deal with such difficult issues in a just and timely manner.

Meanwhile, the life of Sr. Jane McDonald, the human face of this most recent example, continues to be victimized by the institution and the community to which she committed her life. The appallingly defensive and simplistic response of the Canadian Religious Conference (CNT--June 15) only adds to this suffering. At the very least, the CRC's rejoinder cries out for some important clarifications.

Although both the CRC and the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops are well qualified to shed some light on the processes of leaving religious life and obtaining dispensations, neither the CRC, nor the CCCB constitutes a "neutral source." Practically speaking, whether "there is a defined process in place that facilitates departure and is clear about the rights of both the member and the congregation," depends to a great degree on the whims of the Superiors, Councils and Bursar involved. No matter what process is used, there is currently no public accountability for it or for its results in human terms. Nor does the average Religious, especially if he or she is leaving, have a guaranteed, agreed-upon role in crafting an appropriate process, not to mention the content of the "rights" in question.

Religious and diocesan priests leaving their situations can in fact be "lumped together" insofar as both, in the words of Susan Sontag, have "fallen out of step with their tribe", (CNT-June 15) and both frequently suffer similar, if not the same consequences, e.g., ostracism, various forms of sabotage or revenge, illness and real as opposed to vowed poverty.

For the CRC to speak of technical differences between the experiences of the two groups is to miss the point. The royal, but anonymous "we" says, "we find it shocking that a Catholic newspaper would publish such misinformation about religious life." I think that the CRC protests too much, and as Cardinal Law and others have found out recently, "misinformation" is in the eyes of the beholder.

The CRC also says, "The term ostracized by the pack" makes congregations sound like packs of animals and is insulting to all religious." However, Catholic institutions are not immune to the ugly phenomenon of closing ranks, a practice that characterizes other corporations as well. There is a need for the CRC to get real here--to see the dosing of the ranks from the perspective of those who have left religious life. Until you have stood in those shoes, any "insult claim" is absurd. And as Enron found out, you cannot have all the perks that derive from being a corporate entity and at the same time, avoid being stained collectively by the sins of individuals or groups in your midst.

The CRC has now, in effect, justified the ostracism of Sr. Jane by ignoring her community's support obligations and by implying that her current problems can be likened to friendship issues among people in a parish. After parish events, parishioners go home with or to their families, however defined. But Sr. Jane goes home to her community by virtue of her membership, no matter what possibilities have existed for friendship, and right now, it sounds like the community's failure to support her is literally life-threatening for her. To insinuate that she is merely suffering from a loss of friendship is a grave injustice.

Sr. Jane McDonald is, "a person who is in pain and suffering," according to her lawyer and is not, as the CRC argues, "the main problem". The main problem is the institutional system--particularly canon law, that gives Sr. Jane McDonald's community the luxury of being protected, of not being able to respond "due to ethical and legal reasons," and permits the situation where the report of "the Vatican-ordered special investigation into McDonald's claims" has yet to surface.

Whether we are dealing with instances of sexual abuse or the departure of persons from the diocesan priesthood or forms of religious life, the fact is that canonical processes, inquiries and trials, by their very nature as vehicles of Church law, protect the powerful, perpetuate harmful secrecy, encourage injustices because of the lack of public accountability, and preclude in many cases, loving and Spirit-filled advocacy, reparation and reconciliation. The time has come to consider other options for healing, and in this regard, perhaps the CRC could provide a vital service.

The on-line CRC Mission Statement says: "We, the members of the Canadian Religious Conference and leaders of the Catholic Religious Institutes and Societies of Apostolic Life in Canada, are called to collaborate among ourselves, to act in partnership with the laity and with those holding responsibilities within the Church, in order to provide the leadership of service demanded by the culture and times in which we live."