Portland archbishop apologizes to victims of sex abuse

06/14/2007

By JOSEPH B. FRAZIER / Associated Press



In a service of reconciliation that offered no excuses for past wrongs, Archbishop of Portland John Vlazny apologized to the victims and families of people sexually abused by priests over past decades.

"The victims of child sex abuse have carried heavy burdens, many of them for years and years," Vlazny said in his homily Wednesday night at St. Mary's Cathedral.

"I take this opportunity once again to extend a sincere apology to all of them and to any of you who may have been hurt as a result of this scandal."

A reader set the tone when he opened the hour-long service by quoting from the Book of Matthew, "Let us lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light."

In a Litany of Penitence the church cantor essentially listed the offenses that triggered a barrage of lawsuits by those who said they had been abused.

"We have violated the trust of many...We have ignored the complaints of your people...We have chosen to save face rather than to save children..." she sang.

And Vlazny prayed to the gathering of about 250: "Open our eyes to see the pain and suffering caused by the abusive behavior of some members of our church."

The service was part of the settlement agreement the Archdiocese of Portland, which is in charge of Western Oregon, made with about 175 victims who settled for some $52 million in damages. The deal allowed the archdiocese to emerge from bankruptcy with parish property intact.

Another $20 million is set aside for victims who may come forward in the future. Under Oregon law they have up to three years from the time they realize they suffered effects resulting from priest sex abuse to make a claim.

It was not clear how many, if any, of the abuse victims were in the congregation.

"We suspect few victims will come, because the archbishop's duplicity has left them feeling dispirited," said Barbara Dorris, national outreach director for the Survivors' Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP. "Gestures do not protect kids and heal adults. Real actions and openness do. But the archbishop fixates on image over substance and words over deeds."

Vlazny, who was not the archbishop when most of the abuse happened, said measures are in place to prevent future abuse and church cover-up.

"It is true that many of us were pushed into it," he said of the new measures, but the church has embraced the changes "because it is the right thing to do."

Bill Crane, Oregon leader of SNAP, had his doubts.

"I don't think the church is going about it in the right fashion. The right approach would have been like the Stations of the Cross, at each parish where the abuse took place," he said before the service.

"The real focus on healing and reconciliation needs to be church acknowledgment of what the church leadership did over the past three decades."

The archdiocese took a step in that direction this month by releasing previously confidential documents detailing many of the abuses, naming the priests and confirming the beliefs of many that some church officials had known of abusive priests for years and done nothing.

More documents are expected to be released later this year.

"Many (abuse victims) I've talked to say they don't feel comfortable in a church setting and submission to that authority. It can be a very intimidating setting," Crane said.

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