So much to pray for; may we give you one more issue?
By Lori and Robert Fontana
Many of you may recall that about three years ago we asked you to sign a petition to the Archbishop of Seattle supporting our request that he vindicate the work that I did in the Diocese of Yakima in exposing the cover up of clergy sexual abuse by diocesan leaders. Since I first became aware of diocesan cover-up and opposed it in September, 2004, up to the present, I have been vilified and retaliated against by church leaders from the Diocese of Yakima. Not only was I banned from teaching at any Catholic institution in the diocese, but diocesan leaders also interfered with my working in other dioceses.
Pope Francis published a document in 2019 stating that whistle-blowers must be protected, and that Archbishops were responsible for investigating local bishops. On the strength of that new policy, and the continued interference in our work from Yakima officials, we decided to write the Archbishop of Seattle, Paul Etienne, to intervene. He initiated an investigation led by an attorney/investigator from out-of-state who would be an independent investigator. The investigator completed his work in the Fall of 2020. His report is sitting on the desk of an unnamed Vatican official. The “wheels of justice” turn slowly in Rome. Remember, after the Lutheran Reformation, it took 500 years for the Vatican to allow the Mass to be celebrated in the local vernacular instead of in Latin.
Recently, Lori and I made a short retreat. In our reflection, the Holy Spirit placed it on our hearts to be more intentional about surrendering this issue to God in prayer. To that end we wrote the following prayer, and we are inviting friends and CLM benefactors and sponsors to pray it with us. Our hope is to pray the prayer as a Novena in the nine days leading up to the Feast of St. Joseph on March 19, March 11 – 19.
Good and gracious God, Father of Jesus, and our Father,
We need your help. Over three years ago we petitioned the Archbishop of Seattle to vindicate the work that Robert did in the Diocese of Yakima to expose the cover-up of clergy sex abuse of minors and vulnerable adults by diocesan leaders. The case has been investigated and the information gathered has been sent to a Vatican office where it now sits awaiting review and a decision.
Our God, we surrender this entire process to you. We are confident that our appeal is just. If clergy and lay employees of the Catholic Church are too fearful of retaliation to speak out about suspected abuse of a child, youth, or vulnerable adult, or about abuse cover-up by church leaders, then no child, youth, or vulnerable adult is safe.
Pour out your Holy Spirit upon the Vatican officials who are reviewing the documents of this case. Help them to look at the material through the eyes of the thousands of victims who have prayed that someone would stand up for them, protect them, and advocate for them, but no one did. Give our church leadership the wisdom and courage to do what is right to make our church a safe place.
We entrust this prayer to you, Holy Abba, through your Beloved Son, Jesus who told his disciples to ““Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” Mt 19:14
