Five years ago this week, Pope Francis convened an unprecedented summit of bishops from around the world to impress on them that clergy abuse was a global problem and that they needed to do something about it. Yet five years later, the system has proven to be incapable of dealing with the problem. In fact, victims, outside investigators and even in-house canon lawyers increasingly say the church’s response is downright damaging to the very people already harmed -- the victims. They are often retraumatized when they summon the courage to report their abuse through the church’s silence, stonewalling and inaction.
