This week I am going to finish my summary of Bishop Robert Barron’s new book, Letter to a Suffering Church: A Bishop Speaks on the Sexual Abuse Crisis, which was just released on July 22. Thus far, Bishop Barron has pointed out that this crisis is a masterpiece of the devil’s, who found a lot of people inside the Church’s leadership who were willing to cooperate with his attack on the Church. He has also shown how the Scripture sheds some light on the current crisis, briefly looked at Church history to see that we have had similar – even worse – crises in the Church and have survived, and addressed the question of whether or not we should stay in the Church (which we should).

In his final chapter, Bishop Barron outlines a plan for moving forward, so this crisis can prove to be an opportunity to reform the Church. His outline focuses on three levels: institutional reform, the priesthood, and general renewal of Church culture.

First and foremost, there must be some serious institutional reforms. This has already begun. When the sexual abuse crisis first hit the news in 2002, the bishops in the United States met in Dallas that spring and hammered out a series of protocols to govern how to handle the sexual abuse of children by Catholic clergy. These protocols are known as the “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People,” and you can find them by Googling it. In summary, the bishops adopted a zero-tolerance policy regarding sexual abuse of minors. In the past, it was treated as simply a sin to be addressed through prayer and spiritual counseling. In the 1970s and ‘80s, a more psychological approach was adopted, where priests who abused children were sent for treatment, similar to those who suffered from substance abuse. After treatment, they would be returned to ministry. While the sexual abuse of minors is a grave sin, and the offenders do need psychological treatment, neither prayer nor treatment solves the problem of sexual abuse. These offenders must be removed from ministry. With this zero-tolerance policy is the necessity to report these crimes to the relevant civil authorities, right away.

The Dallas Charter also insisted on background checks, not only for priests, deacons and seminarians, but for anyone working for the Church. For seminarians this also includes a very thorough psychological screening, as well as multiple interviews.

Along with the background checks, the Charter called for Church personnel to receive specialized training – here in Trenton it is the VIRTUS training – so they can recognize signs of sexual abuse, and the procedures for reporting it to the police.

The Charter also established a lay review board to investigate reports that a priest has misbehaved. When a priest is credibly accused, he is immediately removed from ministry, it is reported to the civil authorities, and the lay review board investigates the accusation (without interfering with the civil investigation). This review board – made up of people with expertise in law, psychology, and criminal investigation – makes a report to the local bishop.

Lastly, the Charter established a National Review Board, also largely composed of laity, which regularly audits the dioceses in the United States to make sure the Charter is being followed.

With the scandalous behavior of former Cardinal McCarrick, the bishops are now looking at applying these same protocols to the bishops themselves.

These institutional changes have made a big impact. Several studies reveal that the instances of clergy sex abuse peaked in the 1960s and 70s, and declined precipitously after 2002. In fact, of the over 400 cases of sexual abuse by clergy documented in the Pennsylvania Attorney General report, only 2 occurred after 2002.

Bishop Barron also believes that it is essential to have a formal investigation, both here in the United States and in Rome to determine how someone like Theodore McCarrick, whose serious misbehaviors were well know, was allowed to rise in the government of the Church.

Bishop Barron then turns to the need for there to be a spiritual renewal in the priesthood. While we do have many excellent, holy priests, the truth is that too many turned a blind eye to abuse. The moral relativism, especially in matters of sexuality, has become too prominent in the Church since the Second Vatican Council. This has led priests and bishops to lack the moral courage to engage in fraternal correction of fellow priests for fear of losing a friend. Jesus’ command to “judge not, least you be judged,” has been badly misunderstood. We are called to be our brother’s keeper.

This renewal of the priesthood does not require doctrinal or disciplinary changes. Allowing priests to marry will not solve this problem. Rather priests must recommit themselves to Jesus Christ. As Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen once wrote, a priest is not his own – he belongs to Jesus Christ. He must be devoted to Jesus, conforming himself to Jesus in all levels of his being.

Lastly, Bishop Barron points out that this is a problem for the entire Church, not just the hierarchy. Priests do not arise from a vacuum. Most come from Catholic families, and are shaped by a Catholic culture, and to be honest, that culture has become bankrupt. At our baptism, we all became “priest, prophet, and king.” “Priests are those who are committed, all the way down, to holiness of life; prophets are those who have dedicated themselves to proclaiming Christ to everybody; and kings are those who are resolved to order the world, as far as they can, to God’s purpose” (Barron, p. 91).

How priestly are we being when nearly 80% of Catholics fail to attend Mass each week? Or when they do not participate in the other sacraments; the number of baptisms, confirmations, and marriages in the Church are way down. How effective are we being as prophets when young people are leaving the Church in droves? Are we being kings when we adopt the same materialistic, egotistic principles as the general society? When Catholics more or less hold the same secular opinions on the major moral issues we are facing today.

If we want holier priests, we all have to become holier ourselves. A better and stronger laity shapes a better and stronger priesthood, and Church