Some of you've read the 11-page testimony of Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò. If not, you can find it here. In short, Archbishop Viganò's testimony suggests that many people in high ranking positions in the Church knew about the countless abuses of former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, and that Pope Francis himself not only knew but also lifted sanctions already imposed many years ago by Pope Benedict XVI against McCarrick for those continued crimes and essentially allowed the abuses to continue. Pope Francis has, so far, refused to comment on the allegations.
It's been suggested that we can send letters to call for a full investigation of these credible allegations, and some friends asked if there was a template to use for these letters. I've just drafted templates from my own letters, and will include all 3 below for your use. Of course, feel free to change them to personalize and suit your own situation.
Peace and blessings to you all,
Leslie
Letter #1 - letter to your local bishop
(If you don't know who your Bishop is, or need their contact info, do a Google search for "Who is the Bishop of [city, state]?" and you should get the information you need.)
[your address
your phone number
your email address]
August 27,
2018
Most
Reverend Edward Joseph Weisenburger, Bishop of Tucson
Office of
the Bishop
P.O. Box
31
Tucson, AZ
85702
Your
Excellency,
I am
writing to call for the full and thorough investigation of the abuses that have
recently come to light in our Church, and in particular to investigate fully
and thoroughly the credible allegations of the testimony of Archbishop Carlo
Maria Viganò. These allegations go all the way to the top of our Church’s hierarchical
leadership, and have done much to harm the trust of the faithful. We put our
faith and hope in Christ, and we turn to the faithful who remain in Church
leadership to spur into effect a full investigation that will lead to
corrective and purifying action in the Catholic Church, including the swift
removal of those who abused others or enabled and covered for those abusers,
and retribution for the many crimes committed in darkness under the veil of
trust granted by so many to the clerical collar. These crimes must all be
brought to light, and reform in our Church must begin today.
My family
and I are parishioners at [your parish name] Catholic Church in [city, state]. My husband and I, along with five of our children, attend Mass there weekly. [Say something about your own situation here, of course. Or if you're not Catholic, but are a concerned non-Catholic Christian, or non-Christian person of good will, say that, too! Say why you're writing and what you're hoping for... But this paragraph is optional.] We hope that, as our children continue to grow and learn about the faith, we
can turn them to a renewed example of truthfulness and justice, mercy and grace
for those harmed, and absolute commitment to the truth of Christ, His Church,
and her firm teachings. We thank you in advance for your leadership in this
matter.
I have sent similar letters to the President of the USCCB and
to our Apostolic Nuncio. We entrust you, and all the leaders of the Church, to
our prayers. Words are not enough, and we are counting on your action, and the
action of many others, in attempting to right the most grievous wrongs that
have been committed by those in positions of authority in the Catholic Church.
Sincerely,
[your name]
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Letter #2 - letter to the USCCB President
[your address
your phone number
your email address]
August 27,
2018
Daniel
Cardinal DiNardo
President
of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
Archdiocese
of Galveston-Houston
1700 San
Jacinto Street
Houston,
TX 77002
Your Eminence,
I am
writing to call for the full and thorough investigation of the abuses that have
recently come to light in our Church, and in particular to investigate fully
and thoroughly the credible allegations of the testimony of Archbishop Carlo
Maria Viganò. These allegations go all the way to the top of our Church’s hierarchical
leadership, and have done much to harm the trust of the faithful. We put our
faith and hope in Christ, and we turn to the faithful who remain in Church
leadership to spur into effect a full investigation that will lead to
corrective and purifying action in the Catholic Church, including the swift
removal of those who abused others or enabled and covered for those abusers,
and retribution for the many crimes committed in darkness under the veil of
trust granted by so many to the clerical collar. These crimes must all be
brought to light, and reform in our Church must begin today.
My family and I are parishioners at [your parish name] Catholic Church in [city, state]. My husband and I, along with five of our children, attend Mass there weekly. [Say something about your own situation here, of course. Or if you're not Catholic, but are a concerned non-Catholic Christian, or non-Christian person of good will, say that, too! Say why you're writing and what you're hoping for... But this paragraph is optional.] We hope that, as our children continue to grow and learn about the faith, we can turn them to a renewed example of truthfulness and justice, mercy and grace for those harmed, and absolute commitment to the truth of Christ, His Church, and her firm teachings. We thank you in advance for your leadership in this matter.
I have sent similar letters to our local Bishop and to our
Apostolic Nuncio. We entrust you, and all the leaders of the Church, to our
prayers. Words are not enough, and we are counting on your action, and the
action of many others, in attempting to right the most grievous wrongs that
have been committed by those in positions of authority in the Catholic Church.
Sincerely,
[your name]
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Letter #3 - letter to Apostolic Nuncio
[your address
your phone number
your email address]
August 27, 2018
Most Reverend Christophe Pierre, Archbishop
Apostolic Nuncio to the
United States
3339 Massachusetts Ave NW
Washington, DC 20008-3610
Washington, DC 20008-3610
Your Excellency,
I am writing to call for the full and thorough investigation of the abuses that have recently come to light in our Church, and in particular to investigate fully and thoroughly the credible allegations of the testimony of Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò. These allegations go all the way to the top of our Church’s hierarchical leadership, and have done much to harm the trust of the faithful. We put our faith and hope in Christ, and we turn to the faithful who remain in Church leadership to spur into effect a full investigation that will lead to corrective and purifying action in the Catholic Church, including the swift removal of those who abused others or enabled and covered for those abusers, and retribution for the many crimes committed in darkness under the veil of trust granted by so many to the clerical collar. These crimes must all be brought to light, and reform in our Church must begin today.
My family and I are parishioners at [your parish name] Catholic Church in [city, state]. My husband and I, along with five of our children, attend Mass there weekly. [Say something about your own situation here, of course. Or if you're not Catholic, but are a concerned non-Catholic Christian, or non-Christian person of good will, say that, too! Say why you're writing and what you're hoping for... But this paragraph is optional.] We hope that, as our children continue to grow and learn about the faith, we can turn them to a renewed example of truthfulness and justice, mercy and grace for those harmed, and absolute commitment to the truth of Christ, His Church, and her firm teachings. We thank you in advance for your leadership in this matter.
I have sent similar letters to the President of the USCCB and
to our local Bishop. We entrust you, and all the leaders of the Church, to our
prayers. Words are not enough, and we are counting on your action, and the
action of many others, in attempting to right the most grievous wrongs that
have been committed by those in positions of authority in the Catholic Church.
Sincerely,
[your name]
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