Dustin Kass has commented on one of the most pivotal issues in Catholicism today: the response the Church should have to sexual abuse allegations and convictions by clergy (“Young martyrs abused by priests deserve justice,” Aug. 26). As Dustin points out, sexual abuse can cause irreparable harm and lifelong difficulties to victims, family members and friends. The mishandling of sexual abuse cases within the church has disappointed and violated the trust of both victims and non-victims. In discussion of this issue, the well being of victims should be of central concern.

Recent actions taken by church leaders in the United States should please Mr. Kass. On June 14, 2002, the U.S. Bishops approved the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. The charter provides guidelines to promote healing and reconciliation with victims/survivors of sexual abuse of minors, guarantee an effective response of sexual abuse of minors, ensure accountability of procedures, and protect the faithful in the future. Complete text of this document can be found at www.usccb.org/comm/restoretrust.htm. These policies call for the intolerance of sexual abuse that Mr. Kass suggests (e.g. mandatory reporting of all allegations to civil authorities, immediate removal from ministry for even a single act of abuse committed in the past, present, or future).

On August 20, 2002, Archbishop Jerome Hanus released a letter to members of the Archdiocese of Dubuque (the geographical church area that Iowa State falls within) outlining the actions this archdiocese has taken to implement policies of the U.S. Bishops. The complete text of this letter can be found at www.staparish.net.

We thank Mr. Kass for illustrating how closely the issue of clergy sexual abuse affects even the Iowa State community. The Campus Ministers at St. Thomas Aquinas Church and Catholic Student Center seek to respond to the concern members of the ISU/Ames community have about this issue. If you would like an opportunity to dialogue about sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, join us for an open forum on Monday, September 23 at 7:00 p.m.. St. Thomas is located at 2210 Lincoln Way (across from the Memorial Union).

Crystal Caruana Sullivan

Catholic Campus Minister

St. Thomas Aquinas Church and Catholic Student Center

Ames