Tag: laity

Bishop Accountability, Disturbing actions of the Bishop of Buffalo, fictional remedies to clergy sex abuse crisis, Rev. Ryszard Biernat, whistleblowers, You can't make this up

Shocking details in new TV documentary series further vindicate Diocese of Buffalo whistleblowers

Jennifer Kane

News surfaced on the international front that further vindicated the heroic efforts of Buffalo whistleblowers. Within a week of the publication of The Buffalo News‘ front-page photo of Rev. Ryszard Biernat,former diocesan vice chancellor, in blue coveralls carrying a ladder in his current job as building maintenance manager... a multi-part documentary series in Poland finished up its television run revealing in one of its episodes shocking new details about the way officials in the Diocese of Buffalo allegedly handled physical reports of clergy sexual abuse.It is a shameful reflection not just of diocesan officials including our bishop, but of we laity 60 years after Vatican II. By not bothering to address even this single case, we laity collectively join our bishop in tacitly enforcing a universal gag order on all diocesan employees (especially clergy) who witness corruption or criminal/abusive behavior. The bishop's retaliation is just too damn severe. [Click title to read article]

Bishop Accountability

Diocese of Buffalo’s ‘surprise’ at lay apathy is no surprise

Jennifer Kane

The Diocese of Buffalo's report to the worldwide synod has been released. A mere 650 laity out of 600,000 Catholics in the diocese contributed. The report expresses "surprise" at such apathy. That this organization's leaders are so surprised is just one sign of its disassociation with rank-and-file members. Read this excerpt for more signs of… Continue reading Diocese of Buffalo’s ‘surprise’ at lay apathy is no surprise

Bishop Accountability, Disturbing actions of the Bishop of Buffalo, Lay Advisory Groups, You can't make this up

Complicit laypeople in the clergy sexual abuse crisis are for real

Jennifer Kane

"Are lay people still so blindly accepting of anything told them by a bishop, even when it is manifestly extremely suspicious if not patently false?" Answer: Yes. An example revealed in a recent article will blow your mind. [Click title link above to read all about it]

6-part series: Laity's response to sex abuse crisis, Lay Advisory Groups

How Laity can step up their response to the clergy sexual abuse crisis in the Diocese of Buffalo PART SIX: Concrete Reform Recommendations based on revelations in this series

Jennifer Kane

(AUDIO read by author) This final post details concrete reform recommendations for laity to regain relevancy in their advisory roles in this diocese. Long-time Buffalo-area advisors working for their FIFTH or SIXTH bishop are not appropriate for this task, as demonstrated throughout this series. Included is a practical action guide for laity to get involved in the battle for the soul of our diocese.

6-part series: Laity's response to sex abuse crisis, Lay Advisory Groups

How laity can step up their response to the clergy sexual abuse crisis in the Diocese of Buffalo PART THREE: Enabling is a product of toxic diocesan culture.

Jennifer Kane

(AUDIO read by author) To combat the clergy sexual abuse crisis, it is not enough to address the abusers. We have to change the look-the-other-way culture that allowed the abusers to flourish. We examine more dark corners of the diocese to watch how this enabling culture plays out and what laity can do to root it out.

6-part series: Laity's response to sex abuse crisis, Lay Advisory Groups

How laity can step up their response to the clergy sexual abuse crisis in the Diocese of Buffalo. PART FIVE: Principles for Reform

Jennifer Kane

(AUDIO read by author) Sexually abusive clergy and their abuse-facilitators in chancery offices operate off principles. Throughout this series, we saw their chief principle in action: Keeping a lid on the exchange of information and squashing dissent at every opportunity. We laity have principles we work off of too. In this post we look at ten guiding principles foundational to any diocesan reform recommendations.

6-part series: Laity's response to sex abuse crisis, Lay Advisory Groups

How laity can step up their response to the clergy sexual abuse crisis in the Diocese of Buffalo. PART FOUR: Loss of Objectivity is a product of toxic diocesan culture.

Jennifer Kane

(AUDIO read by author) We explore indications that the Diocese of Buffalo, over the course of many years, groomed a tight-knit circle of lay advisors in a system that effectively compromised their objectivity. Lose that, and you can easily get duped.

6-part series: Laity's response to sex abuse crisis, Lay Advisory Groups

How laity can step up their response to the clergy sexual abuse crisis in the Diocese of Buffalo. PART ONE: Recognizing toxic diocesan culture

Jennifer Kane

(AUDIO read by author) This six-part series walks you through dark corners of the Diocese of Buffalo in which we explored areas of moral depravity laced with chilling aloofness and missed opportunities as we examine the the intersection of laity with the clergy sexual abuse crisis. To fix this system, we have to fix the culture that created the crisis. Laity can play a significant role in doing that.