Message from Fr. Fernandes – 10.14.2020
My Dear Friends in Christ,
Last year, Pope Francis stated, “The crimes of sexual abuse offend Our Lord, cause physical, psychological and spiritual damage to the victims and harm the community of the faithful. In order that these phenomena, in all their forms, never happen again, a continuous and profound conversion of hearts is needed, attested by concrete and effective actions that involve everyone in the Church, so that personal sanctity and moral commitment can contribute to promoting the full credibility of the Gospel message and the effectiveness of the Church’s mission.” (Pope Francis, Motu proprio Vos estis lux mundi, 7 May 2019)
I write to offer my prayers and consolation as you confront the painful news, that was made public when a Hamilton County judge refused to dismiss charges against the former pastor of St. Ignatius. A report by Fox19 provides details which evoke shock, hurt, anger, pain and frustration among the members of our parish and school community, who had no knowledge of complaints about him prior to his appointment.
People are presumed innocent until proven guilty. A civil trial is now on the horizon, and the judicial process must run its course. While it does, undoubtedly wounds, which include but are not limited to the threat posed to the young and vulnerable members of our community, as well as the way the crisis was handled institutionally, will be re-opened. We cannot predict what other revelations will come forth.
Many things are beyond our control. What is within our control is to remain vigilant in the fight against the sexual abuse of minors. We must state unequivocally that the protection of minors from abuse is a top priority for our parish. Some measures we have taken to make St. Ignatius safer along with establishing a Parish Safe Environment Committee, include:
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Highlighting Child Protection Efforts at St. Ignatius of Loyola
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Undergoing an audit to check parish compliance with the Decree on Child Protection;
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Holding seminars on issues like cyber-bullying and internet bullying;
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Requiring two VIRTUS-trained individuals for events that involve minors; and
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Promoting EthicsPoint and informing parishioners of it during VIRTUS-training.