By Andrea Picciotti-Bayer
Despite feeling humiliated and betrayed as a faithful Catholic, I am thankful for our summer of shame. I am grateful that a Pennsylvania grand jury revealed decades of clerical sexual abuse in the state, and grateful for the loud public demands for a complete accounting of who knew what and when about former-Cardinal McCarrick’s predatory behavior. I want to continue to add my voice to the call for answers because protecting one more child or young adult from abuse is worth any shame we may suffer.
A decisive response is needed immediately, not only to stop the cycle of abuse and corruption, but also to start the process of restoring the Church’s moral authority. In a world where so many young people are growing up without a moral compass, and where social pathologies like drug abuse, suicide, and the destruction of the family abound, a holy and faithful Church is needed more than ever.
I was glad to be among the original group of Catholic women in the United States to sign a letter to the Holy Father asking for answers to allegations involving former-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick. The letter is a heartfelt demand that the leader of our beloved Church come clean so that the Church can continue to lead.
