A Credible Witness
Paragraph 89 is perhaps my favorite passage from Pope Leo’s encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas. It’s at the end of a short section titled “An examen for the Church,” where Pope Leo makes the case that the Church must live out its...
Category: Abuse Crisis
The Weakness of Abuse — Withstanding the Culture of Power
Alex was about 20, a strong young man from a troubled family. His mother, who tried to drown him shortly after he was born, died in a mental asylum. His older brother had been committed to an asylum, where he,...
The Weakness of Safeguarding
I am writing this article during Holy Week. I hadn’t planned this, but I can’t think of a more suitable time to ponder the relationship between abuse and safeguarding. We are celebrating the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ,...
The Courage to Say “No” and to Finish This
There are moments when a single word becomes a moral act. No. Not the lazy “no” of cynicism or disengagement. Not the performative “no” of social media. The real “no” — the one spoken when you know it will cost you something....
Is Safety Enough?
Recently, the Archdiocese of Detroit mandated fingerprinting of all archdiocesan employees, including clergy, religious, and lay, as well as volunteers who work with children and vulnerable adults. This has been added as an enhanced safeguard to the background checks and...
Safe From Abuse? Punishment, Prevention and Protection
On May 2nd, 2025, Robert Ferguson, Governor of the State of Washington, signed into law Bill 5375 making it mandatory for Catholic priests and other religious leaders to report “if they have reasonable cause to believe that a child has...
An invitation to walk with survivors
[Editor’s Note: Timothy Quigley, a long-time reader and one-time contributor to WPI, reached out to me recently to ask that we help share his new project, which is an opportunity to accompany him as he journeys his personal “Stations of...
The Aftermath: Truth and Accountability in New Jersey
December 1, 2019, was more than a date on the calendar. For thousands of us in New Jersey, it was the first day we could walk through a courthouse door without being told we were too late. It was the...
Glimpses of Hope: Journeying with Survivors of Clergy Abuse
[Editor’s note: This article by Mark Joseph Williams and Fr. Hans Zollner, SJ, speaks with clarity and honesty about one of the most painful and urgent issues facing the Church: how it listens to, responds to, and accompanies survivors of...
The Church’s Mixed Messages to Survivors: From Hostility to Healing
Editor’s Note: This week, John Bellocchio, a survivor of sexual abuse at the hands of the late Theodore McCarrick as a young teenager in Hackensack, New Jersey, forwarded me an email he received from the Diocese of Metuchen, New Jersey....
McCarrick survivor condemns article praising his abuser
Editor’s Note: Late last week, we received an email from John Bellocchio, a survivor of sexual abuse at the hands of the late Theodore McCarrick as a young teenager in Hackensack, New Jersey. He reached out concerning an April 29 column...
Celebrity Exorcist Fr. Carlos Martins Charged with Battery
Updated 24 Jan 2024 3:04pm EST According to an article published on January 23 by Felix Sarver for the Shaw Local News Network, a warrant for the arrest of the Rev. Carlos Martins, CC, on a misdemeanor charge of battery...
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