Tag: Movement to Restore Trust

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, 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]

Disturbing actions of the Bishop of Buffalo, Lay Advisory Groups, Rev. Ryszard Biernat

Survivors group rebukes Bishop Fisher for treating whistleblower as “enemy” in mass mailing to every cleric and most nuns and lay advisors in Diocese of Buffalo

Jennifer Kane

Two years after whistleblower Rev. Ryszard Biernat’s removal from active ministry, survivors of clergy sexual abuse in the Diocese of Buffalo sent a stern message to every single bishop, priest, deacon, and most lay advisors and nuns in the diocese: “Renewal” is a farce if diocesan officials who covered up clergy sexual abuse reports are not held accountable while they hold Father Biernat accountable for exposing such “foul deeds.”

Lay Advisory Groups, Renewal efforts

The silent collateral damage of the clergy sex abuse crisis points to the absurdity of the Church Synod

Jennifer Kane

Notice people missing from the pews? In many cases, you’re witnessing evidence of the silent collateral damage of the clergy sex abuse crisis, and it points to the absurdity of the Church Synod going on now. That’s the pope’s assembly of officials and other constituents to figure out how to make a better Church WITHOUT considering their own officials’ part in the clergy sexual abuse crisis. The Diocese of Buffalo holds NO official accountable for fostering abuse by protecting abusers. Be like this woman and call for their accountability anyway.

Lay Advisory Groups

National Catholic podcast examines role of lay advisors to our bishops in Buffalo

Jennifer Kane

Jennifer Kane is the featured guest in this podcast. In the midst of this catastrophic situation of the Diocese of Buffalo–brought on by our bishops who botched clergy sexual abuse reports–you’d think the very laity specifically chosen by our bishops to advise them would be open to humbly reassess their ministry, challenge their previous assumptions about these men, knock off their obsequious deference to those guys and hold them accountable. Such laity are not above scrutiny, especially when our safety is at stake and lives and souls have been destroyed. Time to have that adult conversation. That's what this national podcast attempts.

Renewal efforts

Toxic diocesan culture remains untouched in renewal plans

Jennifer Kane

No disrespect to the task force that said it did an “extensive examination” of the diocese, but the greatest threat to the Church is the toxic culture spawned by our leaders who created a system that ravaged lives and souls of innocent human beings. It is this very culture which enabled the clergy sexual abuse crisis to flourish in the first place. And guess what? That toxic culture is left UNTOUCHED in the proposed recommendations for diocesan renewal we were just handed. (Click title above to read more...)

Disturbing actions of the Bishop of Buffalo, Lay Advisory Groups

What the hell is Bishop Mike thinking? Pandering to diocese’s version of “Blue Wall of Silence” won’t “renew” anything

Jennifer Kane

Water down for public consumption a very serious, objectively heinous incident with diocesan priests, and you'll get rewarded by your bishop. Provide a contextual redefinition of gratuitous obscene banter with subordinates and voila! You get to be in charge of renewing a diocese mired in clergy sexual abuse. You can't make this up. But you can listen to this priest talk with the bishop about diocesan "renewal" on May 8 live online.

Accountability IS mercy

Accountability is key to establishing Trust in the Diocese of Buffalo

Jennifer Kane

This pulled quote from today's Buffalo News front-page article accurately quotes me. But...Let me further smash the bubble of deference to a Catholic bishop. Most laity are unified on this point: If diocesan officials cited in the AG report covered up clergy sex abuse, they need to be relieved of duty, NOT promoted. We don't trust them.

Accountability IS mercy

Buffalo Bishops throw soft bombs at clergy sex abuse survivors and their advocates who call for accountability following AG report

Jennifer Kane

We aren’t talking about being nice to a guy who made mistakes, bishops. We are talking about holding officials accountable for their gross dereliction of duty, concealing child rapists, wasting millions of donor dollars, and putting people at risk.Check out 44:44 on the timeline of this first media conference with “Bishop Mike, " as he… Continue reading Buffalo Bishops throw soft bombs at clergy sex abuse survivors and their advocates who call for accountability following AG report

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.