The Culture of Omertà

Ever since I've been involved in advocating for the sexual abuse survivors I have wondered why there has not been some sort of call of justice from huge numbers of the clergy.

Yet in nearly 5 years I can count on one hand the number of priests who have spoken out. Why is this?

Finally I discovered it: the culture of omertà.

And what is that? a word borrowed from the Mafia - it means 'a code of silence'. Wikipedia has this definition for it:

Omertà implies “the categorical prohibition of cooperation with state authorities or reliance on its services, even when one has been victim of a crime. Even if somebody is convicted for a crime he has not committed, he is supposed to serve the sentence without giving the police any information about the real criminal."

I've seen this with Father Robinson matter, especially in Toledo. I remember from Dave Yonke's book on the matter, the conversation reported between Bishop Blair had with Father Stanbery whom the bishop thought was like the rest the priests - an adherent of 0mertà. When Father Stanbery brought up the request by the Lucas County prosecutor for a a copy Father Robinson's file so they could properly prepare for the criminal trial, Bishop Blair smirked at the priest and is reported to have said "We gave them what they wanted".

Omertà!!

Earlier in the week, the whole world saw omertà with the publication of a letter from a Cardinal who praised a French Catholic bishop. Here's the quote from CNN:

"I congratulate you on not having spoken out to civil authorities against a priest," wrote Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos, who at the time was prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy. You have done well and I am delighted to have an associate in the episcopate who... preferred prison to speaking out against a son-priest."

Omertà at it's worst. Change a few words and one would have thought a kingpin of the Mafia was speaking.

LORD JESUS CHRIST --- please bring this to an end and soon!!