Pastoral Letter on Safety from UUA President William G. Sinkford 5/10/02

Dear Friends,

The wish for our congregations, indeed all congregations, to be places of safety runs deep in the hearts of religious people. The very first song in our hymnal, "May Nothing Evil Cross This Door," bears witness to this desire. But the on-going revelations of sexual abuse of children by Catholic priests and other clergy forces us to confront how far religious institutions and religious leaders have fallen short of this ideal.

As I have followed the recent revelations of abuse, I am filled with a deep, aching sadness. I feel anger toward the abusers and those who have shielded them. I feel compassion for the victims. And I am committed to work for a justice that can offer restoration.

Many in our congregations, however, have been left with more than this: memories of abuse when they were young; the pain of family members and friends who have suffered; loss of trust in ministry; even a loss of faith. Many of our congregations include members who are former Catholics, and the media coverage of the deep pain in that church can bring to the surface long buried memories and anger at the Catholic hierarchy.

But pedophilia is not restricted to the Catholic clergy. Though the examples are few, it has been present in our own midst as well. Unitarian Universalism has dealt with these few cases honestly, directly, and promptly. We train our clergy to understand and to be sensitive to issues of sexual abuse and misconduct. We have good resources on creating safe congregations. Our Whole Lives, our comprehensive sexuality curricula, educates people of all ages to be aware of the dangers of sexual abuse and helps people find a positive relationship to their own sexuality. We have been serious and, I believe, effective in addressing this issue. But we cannot be triumphant.

Media coverage is often a mixed blessing. It is clear that press coverage has helped expose abuses within the Catholic Church. But the press discussion of gay priests, with the not-so-subtle implication that gay men are by nature abusers, threatens to divert attention from the real issue. As Unitarian Universalists, we can testify to the many blessings brought to our congregations by ministers and congregants who are gay, and I am aware of the hurt felt by the gay community at being blamed for the atrocities of clergy sexual abuse. Homosexuality and pedophilia are unrelated. Loving relationships between adults are a gift; sexual abuse of children is a horror.

And I fear that reactions to these abuses, these betrayals of trust, and the horrible cover-ups that have followed will affect all churches and all ministries. Will all things sacred become suspect?

Beyond our grief, our anger, and our compassion for those abused, the religious community is called to work for restoration and for justice. In Massachusetts, Unitarian Universalists worked to have the state Legislature pass a law making clergy mandated reporters of child sexual abuse. As part of an interfaith coalition, our voice was joined by that of the United Church of Christ, the American Baptists and the Christian Scientists.

With the signing of this new law, our congregations in Massachusetts now must search their collective memories and files, reporting allegations and instances of pedophilia. The text of the new Massachusetts law can be found at http://www.state.ma.us/legis/laws/seslaw02/sl020107.htm

Congregations, and especially ministers, in other states should determine whether your state requires clergy to be mandated reporters and make sure that you are in compliance with the applicable statutes. Information on applicable laws in all states of the U.S. can be found at http://www.calib.com/nccanch/pubs/stats01/mandrep.pdf (requires Adobe Acrobat)

In an effort to assist our congregations and ministers in the important work of creating safe congregations, we have compiled resource information and posted it on the UUA website. Safe Congregations Resources can be found at http://www.uua.org/cde/education/safecong.html. And the immensely significant report "Restorative Justice for All: Unitarian Universalists Responding to Clergy Sexual Misconduct" can be found at http://www.uua.org/cde/csm/.

Our public witness is necessary here, but it is not sufficient. We minister in a world where trust has been betrayed, where authority has failed in its responsibility, where persons have been stripped of their faith. Our commitment must be to safety in our congregations. "May Nothing Evil Cross This Door." But our ministry must also know the depth of anguish that is already within our walls. And our promise, to one another, must be to make space for that anguish to be present and search for paths that lead to restoration.

In faith,

Rev. William G. Sinkford
President, Unitarian Universalist Association

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