Rev. Bob Silva
President, National Federation of Priests Councils
Monday, November 15, 2004

When I received the first phone call, I was stunned. How could it be that priests in such numbers would do what they were being accused of doing? My stomach began to churn and a slow dull aching behind my eyes punished me as I took phone call after phone call from journalists and television and radio commentators looking for answers.

So it began.

Who Is the Priest

Priests have been a part of the fabric of human communities long before the days of Jesus. They put human communities in touch with realities beyond the limits of their own histories and make it possible for them to hope.

Priests have stood, as it were, with a foot in two worlds: the world of earth and the world beyond the earth. Priests bridge the "here and now" with the infinite. They show the way out of the suffering of this world to the well being of a world free of the struggles and toils, the tragedies and darkness of the earth. Priests are symbols in the community of an ordered reality where life is the all in all, where the incomprehensible is grasped in the living of the mystery, where death loses its power.

In the Roman Catholic world, evolving out of the role of elder and presbyter, the priest came to be known as " alter Christus", "another Christ". By virtue of his ordination, the priest was configured to Christ in such a way that he embodied the Sacred. The priest offered the sacrifice that could make death subject to life. The priest performed the great liturgical action whereby God, through His Son Jesus, entered the human condition, embraced its suffering, sin and death, and overcame it. Eternal life was the ultimate end and it was the priest who held the possibility of it in his hands.

The connection between the priest and God in the mind of the ordinary Catholic was such that children would cry out: Hello, God. Adults would fall into a reverent silence when they found themselves in the presence of a priest. This "otherness" of the priest was affirmed by the theological teaching that the priest's ordination changed him radically. He was marked with the indelible character of the sacrament. At the level of his being he was a man set apart for he was ontologically configured to the person of Christ.

This theology of the priesthood received a pre-eminence of place in the Church's understanding of the priest's identity and position in the life of the community. It brought about a unique set of behaviors for the priest, and from it grew what has become known as a clerical culture which exists within the faith community yet is distinct and unique within it.

From the point of view of the Church's ministry, because the priest was uniquely configured to Christ, ministry properly belonged to the priest. If laity were involved, it was as helpers of the priest in the performance of his ministry. The lay person was to live a life of charity and justice, witnessing to the world through Catholic action that God is good, forgiving and saving. But it was the priest who held in his sacred hands the ability to make present the sacrifice whereby Christ suffers, dies, rises and ascends to the Father in the great act of atonement and redemption. It was the priest whose task it was to exercise the "care of souls" in such a way that they would be drawn into the Church where redemption was to be found.

A lack of time caused the proposed De Cura Animarum (On the Care of Souls) to be withdrawn from conciliar deliberations during the Second Vatican Council leading to the drafting and promulgation of Presbyterorum Ordinis. This document, because of the Bishops' concern for an authentic "care of souls" on the part of priests, gave rise to an understanding of the priest as one with his people, not set apart, but fully human, one with his brothers and sisters in the human struggle.

Following the Council, a de-mythologizing of the priesthood opened the door for priests to engage in activities previously seen as unfit for the ordained. The emphasis shifted from that of being "set apart" to the priest as one who lives as a human being in the human world with all of the joys and foibles of human existence. The humanity of the priest became noticeable such as at the celebration of the Eucharist where the priest faced the people.

In recognition of this notion, Pope John Paul II in Pastores Dabo Vobis says:

"The ministry of the priest is, certainly, to proclaim the word, to celebrate the sacraments, to guide the Christian community in charity "in the name and in the person of Christ," but all this he does dealing always and only with individual human beings."

"So we see that the human formation of the priest shows its special importance when related to the receivers of the mission: In order that his ministry may be humanly as credible and acceptable as possible, it is important that the priest should mold his human personality in such a way that it becomes a bridge and not an obstacle for others in their meeting with Jesus Christ the Redeemer of humanity. It is necessary that, following the example of Jesus who "knew what was in humanity" (jn.2:25;cf8:3-11), the priest should be able to know the depths of the human heart, to perceive difficulties and problems, to make meeting and dialogue easy, to create trust and cooperation, to express serene and objective judgements."

-"Future priests should therefore cultivate a series of human qualities, not only out of proper and due growth and realization of self, but also with a view to the ministry?.of special importance is the capacity to relate to others." (Pastores Dabo Vobis, V.I.43)

This emphasis on the human has created a certain tension in the individual priest himself and in the official Church as she struggles to right herself following the enthusiasm of the immediate post-conciliar years.

In attempting to address the ministerial aspect of the priest's life, the Church has struggled with the question of the very identity of the priest. There is the performance of the ministerial tasks demanded by the "care of souls" which become defining of the priest. But more fundamentally, there is the need to look more deeply at the question of the identity of the priest. Recently, concern has been expressed that there be more attention paid to the question of identity. The priest is human, yes! But, is there more to say?

Most Reverend Daniel Buechlein, Archbishop of Indianapolis in his essay The Sacramental Identity of the Ministerial Priesthood: "In Persona Christi" puts it this way:

"By the power of the Holy Spirit, at our consecration in ordination, we are so configured to Christ the Priest that our very being is transformed: "The priest then is not a substitute" or a stand-in for Christ like a proxy at a meeting?" The ordinand is priest in the person of Christ the High Priest. We are not substitutes. The ministerial priest does not merely do priestly things. We are ontologically "men of the sacred" as our Holy Father says. "(Priests For A New Millenium, Secretariat For Priestly Life and Ministry, United States Catholic Conference, Washington D.C., 2000)

An understanding of the priests' identity that shifts the emphasis from the ontological and cultic to the ministerial has been developing in recent years. Paul Philibert, the Dominican author of Stewards of God's Mysteries says:

"This theological vision of presbyteral ministry can be summarized in terms of some very definite theological priorities. Presbyteral ministry must be defined in broad pastoral - not uniquely liturgical - terms. We need to reshape our imagination of priestly ministry, shifting it from cultic to comprehensive. The central importance of preaching, called by Vatican II the primary responsibility of the ordained, is based on the fact that the word of God is the very source of the Church's life?In a unique way, bishops and presbyters express Christ's priesthood by acting in the name of the body of Christ, (corpus ecclesiae) and of the person of Christ (in persona Christi) in calling together, presiding over and ministering to the People of God.

These two theological approached to the identity of the priest of express a tension that exists in the Church today between what is called a "cultic" identity of the priest and the "ministerial" identity of the priest. It is a tension that is evident and one which needs more attention. Priests in Crisis

It is against this background that I wish to take up two current issues facing priests in the here and now. The first is the phenomenon of the sexual abuse crisis; the second is the right of priests to due process.

It was hard for me to understand why so many priests had credible allegations made against them. After all, what group of professional men have had the kind of formation and training that priests have had? What group of men hold to the high ideals and motivations for appropriate behavior that priests do? What group of men has in its theological self understanding the notion of "special graces" whereby God enables one to do carry out his state in life? How could this have happened?

I knew many of these priests personally. How did I not see that there was something terribly amiss with them? What was it about my lack of attention that enabled them to continue such behavior over a period of months and years?

It was not until I had to deal with the media's questions that I began to put together some understanding of it all.

Let me begin by saying that I was privileged to raise other people's children. As a seminarian, I worked with children at summer camp and at the Hanna Center For Boys. All of these children were from situations that made them very vulnerable. I dried their tears, I wiped their runny little noses and I held their little heads when they were sick. Later, as a priest, I directed a residential program for undergraduates that put me in contact with young men whose needs made them vulnerable as well. One minute they were men, the next, just young boys. I taught them to make their beds, to set the table, to change clothes when they should, and I took care of them when they were sick. Throughout the years, there were two young men who had been sexually abused by an adult. One was a little fellow, the other one of the young college men. I was sensitive to the children being loved and cared for without abuse from anyone, their parents or anyone else. I guarded them, I protected them and I loved them.

In return, they called me to mature adulthood and to a deep appreciation for all that is human.

Consequently, to hear of a priest who would have abused one of the children made me very angry. I know how these young ones trusted me. How could someone betray their innocent trust? So, I had my own anger to deal with. I also had to review my entire life with those children. Had I unwittingly abused them in any way? It was not easy to work all this through.

In the beginning, I would rather have been working with victim-survivors, assisting them in their recovery and healing. But, it was my job to work on behalf of the priests.

Over the years, I have reviewed many cases of priests who offended against children. The reality is that some are true pedophiles, true criminals. Others sinned grievously against chastity and against their promise of celibacy over a period of time without realizing that their behavior was criminal. Now they know. A few - and they are very few - simply made an adolescent mistake.

What the behavior of these men has created is a Church where trust is almost non-existent. I knew some of these men and did not know what they were up to. If this man who was my friend could do this, how do I know who to trust? How do others know that I do not have something hidden in my life? And what of the Bishops and the misguided personnel practices they followed? Am I to trust their teaching simply because they taught it? The loss of trust will be hard to overcome. Yet we must work to restore it.

Second, we now have a group of men who are priests who have been removed from ministry still in our communities. How are we to relate to them? What kind of relationship should we have with them? What is appropriate? What does forgiveness mean in this context?

Third, criminal or not, these men have a right to a life that has meaning because they are human beings. How do we, as Church, walk with them as they attempt to reconcile their lives?

Finally and most importantly, how can we exercise sensitivity, compassion and healing in the lives of those who have been victimized? How do we help them to be free of the terrible and painful restraints within which the experience of the abuse has bound them, some for many years?

As you might know, we begin now to take up the Charter and Norms for review after two years. These documents were absolutely necessary for the Church to formulate and to put in place. I know that they have been difficult for the priests to accept. By not including themselves among those bound by the Charter and Norms, the Bishops seemingly placed the burden on the priests of the country. This made many priests very angry. By initiating the "one strike and you are out" policy, the Bishops made the penalty an absolute, taking away any possibility for discretionary action on the Church's part.

The review of the Charter and Norms will take place at the diocesan level, the bishop with his priests. Other groups will be invited to make their suggestions. At the same time, there will be review by those officials in Rome who have oversight over the development of "Particular Law".

There are concrete things priests are seeking to have addressed:
The zero tolerance policy: it seems unchristian and unjust to have applied it retractively; its implementation has been inadequate and, in many cases, unfair. The Charter's failure to bring healing: the victim survivors do not seem to be progressing; accused priests are abandoned, waiting for two or more years for their cases to be heard;
Priests are terrified of being accused falsely because they fear be judged guilty simply by the fact of the allegation made against them.
There is a lack of appropriate and due process. In many cases proper canonical procedures are not followed.
It seems that one is guilty until proven innocent.
The Charter and Norms paints everyone accused with the same brush. There is no recognition of the individual case.
Care for our brother priests who have been removed has not been addressed by the Church.

• Due process is an intrinsic part of the Church's pastoral mission.
• The requirements of due process serve to place limits on the exercise of power within the Church. The use of power must not be arbitrary.
• There must be a presumption of innocence
• The tribunal must be independent
• The evidence supporting an accusation must be public in character
• The accused has a right to produce evidence in his defense
• The right to have all judicial measures explained
• The right to a double level of jurisdiction as means of appeal.

The Church's understanding of a priest as "set apart", ontoglogically configured to Jesus the Priest, becomes a context for the tremendous loss of trust and sense of betrayal felt by so many Catholics. The community's expectation of a priest who is "holy", "sacral", a " man set apart" is frustrated. Peoples's loss of credibility is to be expected.

At the same time, the ministerial identity which places a priest in the midst of the human struggle and that, in some ways, lowers expectations, makes the need for vigilance concerning the rights of priests and the due process which must be accorded him most necessary.

Role of the NFPC

I would like to conclude with a few remarks about the role of the National Federation of Priests Councils in all of this.

First we must recognize that the phenomenon of child sexual abuse, even by priests, has occurred from generation to generation. It respects neither liberal nor conservative, neither young nor old. That it has occurred with such intensity in the last fifty years simply means that our society has grown in its awareness of the crime and in the rights of children as persons. Finally, that the Bishops dealt with it as they did showed their lack of understanding of the behavior as criminal rather than sinful. This, of course, does not excuse their harsh treatment of victim survivors or their bad judgment with regard to the perpetrators.

From the very beginning, it has been role of the National Federation of Priests' Councils to try to bolster the morale of the priests and Bishops of the country with words of encouragement. Within two weeks of the day the news broke, I sent a letter to every Bishop and every priest encouraging them, even pointing to some activities that they might do at the parish level to help alleviate the stress among victim-survivors and parishioners.

Over the last two years we have offered retreats and workshops with as many presbyterates as possible to help priests feel affirmed and empowered to continue in their ministries.

We have been a principle spokesperson in the media on behalf of priests and bishops. I have been interviewed by CBS, NBC, CNN, FOX, PBS, BBC television and radio. WE have been interviewed with some regularity by the Boston Globe, New York Times, LA Times, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle. I have spoken with various Catholic and non-Catholic groups around the country trying to bring some understanding and healing to them.

We initiated Priesthood Sunday, an initiative meant to get people at the parish levels talking of the place of the priesthood in the Church and in their family's life. It is our hope that Priesthood Sunday will be taken up by several different lay groups for next year.

I have worked with referral groups like Opus Bono Sacerdotii and the Canon Law Society of America.

And, I have listened patiently on the telephone as both victim-survivors and priests have poured out their stories, many with sobs and tears.

Here is an excerpt from one letter I received that will give you an idea of how important it has been for me to speak out.

"Dear Father Bob,
My name is---. I am a diocesan priest and pastor. I just finished reading your comments in the NCR today. I have read your comments in articles from Chicago, Long Island, and New York. I want to tell you how heartened I am?here the priests are bitterly divided. The pain from the scandal has not abated and has never been addressed among the priests. In our diocese, no one is listening to the priest. Our morale is record low. Your comments are reassuring and timely, but you seem to be the only figure in the church who either sees or cares about the situation of priests. One wonders if it is worth it anymore. Please continue to voice the concerns of your colleagues."

As we look forward to the future, we at the NFPC return to the discussion of the priesthood that I set before you in the first half of my talk. We try to bring a spirituality to diocesan and religious priests that helps them in their ministry through the retreats and workshops on priestly identity and mission. Through our publications, particularly our quarterly Touchstone, we place before the priests articles that help them deal with some of their life issues as well as some of the ministerial and pastoral issues that come up in parish and diocesan life.

Because we take our cue from the Second Vatican Council and John Paul II's comments in Pastores Dabo Vobis, we have developed a series of formation programs for priests that attempt to help them address the task of Pastoral Leadership and Collaboration with the Laity in Mission.

Finally, we initiate the commissioning of research on the priesthood and on the pastoral issues affecting the life of the Church in the United States.

And lest we grow myopic, we work internationally with Priests Conferences from other countries searching out and addressing common items of concern that affect the international faith community.

Conclusion

As we look forward to the future, the Holy Father's call and challenge for a new evangelization beckons us to get up and get about the business of the Gospel. It is not a time for timidity, nor a time for second guessing ourselves. We live now in a world of many cultures which blend together and call for a transcultural unity: multi-ethnic, multi-generational, filled with an enthusiastic hope for a new world order of justice and peace.

The events of the last three years, the struggle for a clear identity, the growth in a human self understanding all come together to bring those of us who are ordained to our knees. There we rediscover our creatureliness, our weakness and our need for the strength of God's Spirit.

So it is, that with our faces turned toward Jerusalem, we priests shall lead our people, with humble courage, to the Cross of Jesus Christ where in His dying we know the Rising and the glory of the Kingdom of God.