Clergy Sexual Abuse: A West Coast View

In a workshop designed for pastoral ministers of all kinds, Gina Hens-Piazza, Professor of Biblical Studies, and Fr. Brendan McGuire, Pastor of Holy Spirit Parish in San Jose, offered practical suggestions about how best to preach in communities impacted by sexual abuse or abuse of authority in the Church.  The workshop was attended by current students and parochial partners from the area and took place at the Jesuit School of Theology on February 24.

Along with engaging the audience in a deeper discussion, the workshop offered a number of practical suggestions.  Fr. Brendan stressed the importance of storytelling in preaching.  He shared that he never strays from his methodology of storytelling.  However, he noted that the preacher cannot end with their own experience and tell their own story exclusively.  One must start with an authentic personal experience, then broaden it to a universal human experience that is then weaved into God’s story.  The point is to express that the preacher is one of the community and understands the experiences of the congregation in the pews, always bringing it back to mutual experience.  As such, it is imperative to know the community, which McGuire admitted takes time.  The other practical note that Fr. Brendan offered was to always preach with a Bible in one hand and a newspaper in another, quoting German theologian Karl Barth.  In this way, it is imperative to preach to the current reality.  Finally, Fr. Brendan offered that Christ always stands with the victim, and this must be a preacher’s stance as well.  In preaching, one must give voice to the victim.

Professor Hens-Piazza offered five practical suggestions for preaching in the context of sexual abuse.  Her suggestions start with the understanding that the Bible contains texts that reference and describe moments of great violence. 

1. One must name the instances of violence that are captured in biblical texts. While not glossing over these texts, one must also name violence that has been perpetrated in history and the violence that is being uncovered in our Church.  Professor Hens-Piazza stressed that not naming these moments has consequences as it bespeaks a complicity in these violent deeds.  By naming these moments of violence, the preacher communicates that they understand the gravity of the events.
   
   
2. Preachers must refuse to explain away or normalize difficult biblical texts or abuse in the Church.
   
   
3. Refuse to minimize violence in Biblical texts. Refuse to minimize abuse and its effects in our faith community.
   
   
4. Preachers must continually, and on a regular basis, document the case against violence in biblical texts and in our Church. It is important to remember that violence can encompass many different expressions, including namelessness or not being free to speak.  It is necessary to continually name these moments, express sorrow, and commit to a transparent future.
   
   
5. It is necessary to preach and teach stories of brutality and deception and abuse of victims in the Bible and in the Church in memoriam of the victims and their families.

The workshop concluded with a spirited question and answer session between the attendees and Professor Hens-Piazza and Fr. McGuire.  Attendees’ questions grappled with incorporating sacramentality into our response to this crisis as we work towards healing, how to accompany people who have left the Church, and how small group faith-sharing and lay preaching can lead to a shared empowerment in the faith.