‘GREAT COURAGE … TO SPEAK OUT’

Bishop Scharfenberger, diocesan leaders listen as abuse victims tell their stories

On Wednesday, Sept. 10, in room 306 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of New York in downtown Albany, people who allege they were abused by priests and others employed by the Diocese of Albany got to tell their stories, some for the first time.

On that first day, of the three days of scheduled testimonies, survivors, many with graying hair, some using canes, relived their trauma, their voices a mix of anger and emotion. They courageously talked of childhoods, which were once happy and joyous, stolen from them so many decades ago. How they could no longer trust … anyone. How their lives were forever altered. How they were broken individuals who often sheltered thoughts of suicide. How, after what they suffered, they were never, could never be the same. 

One by one they came and told their stories, 11 in all that first day. Most read their statements, some were read by their lawyers. The three days of testimony - 52 testimonies were expected to be read - were set up by U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Robert E. Littlefield Jr. after a motion was filed this summer by attorneys representing the Child Victims Act (CVA) claimants, a group officially known as the Official Committee of Tort Claimants, who have filed lawsuits against the Diocese. The testimonies were not entered in the court record or made under oath; it just gave the survivors a chance to speak.

This was the latest development as the Diocese of Albany and lawyers for the alleged survivor-victims have been mired in mediation and court proceedings since the Diocese — which is facing over 400 lawsuits related to the CVA — filed for voluntary Chapter 11 protection March 15, 2023. In an effort to jump-start the mediation process, Littlefield has allowed seven “test” cases to go to trial with the first one slated to start next month.

Bishop Edward B. Scharfenberger — along with Father Robert Longobucco, Vicar General, other diocesan priests and attorneys — sat in front of the courtroom listening to the testimonies, saying later in a letter to the faithful that “it takes great courage for survivors of abuse to speak out.”

“We are grateful to them for coming forward. These stories are painful to hear, but we must be diligent in our efforts to be there for survivors and for each other. We are called, by faith, to share the healing love of Christ in all that we say and do.

“No one should ever be abused, especially by someone they trust in the Church. The Church must do all that it can to provide much-needed community and assistance to survivors. Every survivor’s path to healing is different. Several survivors have said, ‘if you’ve met one survivor, you’ve met one survivor.’ We can all do better with listening to them.”

As part of the diocesan outreach to survivors of abuse, the diocesan Hope and Healing Committee (www.rcda.org/hopeandhealing), has scheduled another Hope and Healing Mass for Saturday, Sept. 27, at 4 p.m. at St. Luke’s Church in Schenectady (1235 State St.). The committee set a goal in the Fall of 2022 to share a message of healing in each of the seven regional Vicariates of our Diocese. The goal has been met but the message to survivors that they do not have to walk alone as they work toward healing from abuse and trauma continues.

“We should never stop caring for those who were harmed, and we know that many have not yet come forward,” Bishop Scharfenberger continued in his letter. “There should always be a place for someone to go to be heard, accompanied, and cared for in our Church, our Diocese.

“To anyone struggling through this — survivors, family, friends, anyone who is upset by hearing about abuse we invite you to conversation, connection, and healing as a community. You can contact the Diocesan Assistance Coordinator Noelle Marie (518) 453-6646. If you would rather not find help in the church, you can find other resources on the Diocesan Hope and Healing webpage. No one should walk alone.”