Compensation for abuse

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: In creating a new compensation fund for victims of clergy sexual abuse, the Pittsburgh Catholic Diocese is acknowledging a moral obligation to those who suffered at the hands of men they should have been able to trust.

It’s the latest in a series of administrative and spiritual steps that the diocese is taking to atone for child sexual abuse by priests and reduce the likelihood of future misconduct. Other Pennsylvania dioceses have adopted similar measures following a grand jury report that alleged abuse of more than 1,000 children by more than 300 clergy members over several decades.

Welcome admission

Such funds are a welcome admission of the dioceses’ debt to victims. But given the public outrage at the sickening crimes and cover-ups outlined in the report, the dioceses really had no choice. True contrition would have meant coming clean and creating the funds long ago. Not until the grand jury report did the scope of the problem – dozens of victims and at least 90 alleged abusers in the Pittsburgh diocese alone – become clear.

The funds will serve an important purpose for the church and the victims, but payouts aren’t the end of the story.

Dioceses should not hope that payouts will end talk about the scandal and render it a painful memory. The church has seen the damage that silence can do. The scandal must remain part of the church’s consciousness, partly to prevent future abuse, and victims can help by continuing to share their stories.