Catholics in leadership have left the laity with no choice but to act

Fast forward 16 years. Australian authorities are prosecuting Cardinal George Pell over credible allegations he abused children. Former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick stands accused of the same. On Aug. 14, 2018, a Pennsylvania grand jury released a thorough and damning report detailing sexual abuse in eight dioceses.

It is clear the church can’t be trusted to excise the fetid evil that has seeped into its bones. Its institutions have grown too corrupt, too complicit, and too compromised for anyone to trust them with the mission of curing the cancer of clergy sexual abuse.

Thus, it’s on the laity to heal these deep, bleeding wounds.

Here is where the laity should start:

1. Hold back all diocesan donations until Rome acts. Forget about the annual Bishop’s Appeal, and maybe think twice about donating to your local parish. This doesn’t run afoul of Canon law. Leadership need to hear you, and few things speak as forcefully as your pocketbook. Direct your tithing obligations elsewhere. There is no shortage of worthy charities that would welcome your hard-earned cash.

2. In tandem with the total freeze in donations, the laity must boycott leadership. If a top-ranking official plans to say Mass at your church, find another Mass. If this unavoidable, decline to receive from that bishop or cardinal. Receive Holy Communion from an extraordinary administrator if you must. This isn’t Donatism. This isn’t demanding sanctity from leadership. Rather, this is the equivalent of standing with one’s back to a speaker. It’s a peaceful and clear show of protest that says, “We have nothing to talk about until you right these wrongs.”

Avoid public gatherings where leadership is scheduled to be honored. Avoid any activity that might be seen as celebrating or promoting leadership.

3. The laity must invest separately in the establishment of a permanent and independent lay organization to pursue allegations of sexual misconduct.

For reference, think of former Oklahoma governor Frank Keating, who chaired a panel of lay Catholics that investigated clergy sexual abuse 15 years ago. He was honest and uncompromising in his approach to rooting out evil. He resigned in protest after he rightly compared the behavior of certain U.S. bishops to the Italian mafia.

The goal of this new permanent lay organization will be the establishment of investigative subgroups in all 50 states. They will produce the sort of work that we saw this week in Pennsylvania. This body must be 100 percent independent of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. It must have no ties whatsoever to leadership at home or abroad. It must have minimal communication with the bishops, unless it’s for investigative purposes.

There are practical actions the church can take to correct the evil it has unleashed on the world, but it’s not going to happen unless the flock forces change. Therefore, the financial and pastoral boycotts must continue until Rome enacts much-needed reforms, including:

1. It removes all individuals implicated in the Pennsylvania grand jury report, abusers and enablers alike. This doesn’t mean “removed from public ministry” or put on “sick leave” or “leave of absence.” This mean total defrocking with no pension or church benefits. These men have forfeited the privilege to walk in Christ’s shadow.

2. It establishes an annual period of fasting and penance offered in memory of the victims of clergy sex abuse. This period is to be observed exclusively and publicly by the clergy. The idea is that this will go on in perpetuity, as a continuous reminder of the church’s disgrace and failure.

3. It incorporates the victims of clergy sex abuse into the liturgical calendar. The church marks its victories year-round with commemorations of the saints in Mass. It should also mark its defeats, including the wide-scale theft of innocence for which it’s responsible.

The abuse victims likely prefer anonymity. Thus, the church should assign a specific code to each victim. (Example: We offer today’s Mass for Harrisburg Diocese Victim Number Three.) This puts the church one step closer to recognizing its institutional failures as well as the humanity of the abused.

4. It submits to the lay investigative committee. Rome is to cooperate with all audits of diocesan materials regarding allegations of sexual abuse. The lay body will report its findings and make as much information public as reasonably and responsibly possible. There must be no more secret bishop vaults, no more mealy-mouthed excuses from diocesan officials, and no more apologies coming only after media and law enforcement have uncovered wrongdoing.

5. It defrocks any individual credibly implicated in sexual misconduct as uncovered by the lay investigative body.

I am a lifelong practicing Roman Catholic. I love the church. But I will not tithe to any diocese until Rome enacts meaningful reforms to address the evil it has enabled for so long. Nor will I receive Holy Communion or any other sacrament from any cardinal, bishop or archbishop, etc. I will still pursue all the sacraments – but not from the church’s top officials. I will boycott any public event seeking to honor these men.

I want to repair the church. Leadership have left the laity with no choice but to take up the charge.

As Catholics, we’re going to have to get past the ingrained “Father knows best” mentality. Many fathers clearly don’t. “Pay, pray, and obey” might have worked at one time, but it’s left us with a moral evil that we cannot see beyond. If we opt again to defer to church leadership, things will likely remain unchanged. Leadership will go back to doing what it does best: Ignoring your cries while protecting its interests.