Last year Ms. Doyle spoke with Father Lemmert about the backlash he
experienced after exposing a case in New York, and he later told her
that talking about his experiences was “very therapeutic.” The group was
initially conceived more as a confidential support group for the
whistle-blowers themselves.
“I joined the group,” said Father Lemmert, “because I had been badly
ostracized because I blew the whistle. There was no support out there,
and this group has been a lifeline.”
Until last week, he intended to keep his involvement in the group under
wraps for fear of repercussions. But at the meeting Father Lemmert
announced, “I just decided to stand up and be counted.”
The group has evolved to take on a more policy-oriented role, drafting
the letter to the new pope with six suggestions for action. They sent
the letter in late April to the pope and several Vatican officials, but
have not received any response yet.
They expressed varying degrees of optimism about whether Pope Francis
will follow through on the goal first articulated by Pope John Paul II
that there is no room for sexual abusers in the priesthood. They noted
that Pope Francis recently said that all human beings must be protected
with “clarity and courage” — especially children, “who are the most
vulnerable.”
Monsignor Lasch said to the group, “The pope has asked us to speak with
clarity and courage, and that’s what we’ve done with him.” Mr. Hoatson
added, “It’s time that clarity and courage are rewarded rather than
harassed and dismissed.”
Mr. Hoatson and Monsignor Lasch founded Road to Recovery, a group that
assists abuse victims, but Mr. Hoatson left the priesthood in 2011 after
a series of run-ins with Archbishop Myers. He said he has found the
recent spotlight trained on the Newark archbishop very encouraging.
The whistle-blowers’ group plans to hold its first news conference this
week in New York, and some members are bracing for the reaction. They
said they know priests who spoke up and were removed from their
parishes, hustled into retirement or declared “unstable” and sent to
treatment centers for clergy with substance-abuse problems or sexual
addictions.
As for what they hope to accomplish, the whistle-blowers had very different answers.
“That all the children in our church would be safe,” said Father Bambrick.
“That the people who covered up would go to jail,” said Sister Butler.
“That’s not what I’m in this for,” said Monsignor Lasch. “I’m in this for justice and mercy and truth and compassion.”
