Awake Blog
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In the meantime, please click here to read older posts.
What is Institutional Betrayal? And How Does It Relate to Church Abuse?
Institutional betrayal occurs when leaders of an institution fail to protect members from harm or do not respond with support if someone reveals that they’ve been hurt.
Polyvictimization: Why Many Victim-Survivors of Church Abuse Have Suffered Previous Trauma
When victim-survivors of sexual abuse by Church leaders share their stories, some mention that they experienced previous abuse or trauma even before they were harmed in the Church. Trauma researchers report that this is not uncommon. People who…
What Does Grooming Look Like in the Sexual Abuse of Adults?
As we grapple with the problem of sexual abuse of adults in the Catholic Church, it’s important to acknowledge the role of grooming, the tactics some abusive people use to gain access to their victims and avoid getting…
What Should I Do If Someone Tells Me They’ve Been Abused? The 5-Step VEEEL Method
This week we revisit this terrific advice from Deborah Rodriguez, MD, who spells out how to respond if someone discloses their abuse to you. It’s helpful for anyone who wants to respond to victim-survivors with healing compassion.
Case of Prominent Jesuit Highlights Church Failures Around Abuse of Adults
The case of Fr. Marko Rupnik, a prominent Jesuit priest who has been accused of sexual and spiritual abuse of religious women, suggests that the Church hierarchy remains unwilling to take the abuse of adults seriously. Rupnik, 68,…
5 Ways the Catholic Church Can Build More “Institutional Courage”
This blog post, first published in September 2020, really resonated for some on Awake’s Leadership Team.
Archdiocese of Milwaukee Launches New Policies for Reporting Misconduct, Awake Responds
The Archdiocese of Milwaukee recently announced new protocols for handling allegations of misconduct by bishops, as well as allegations of misconduct against adults by clergy or lay leaders in the Church.
Explainer: What Is Restorative Justice, And How Can It Help Heal the Catholic Church?
Restorative justice is often discussed as one of many tools to address the twin crises of sexual abuse and leadership failures in the Catholic Church.
Abuse of Adults in the Church: What You Need to Know
Many people view the sexual abuse crisis in the Church as mainly involving the abuse of children. Yet consider these news stories of Catholic leaders: former cardinal Theodore McCarrick, who was credibly accused of the sexual harassment and…
Why Do Victim-Survivors Sometimes Forget Their Abuse?
When survivors of sexual abuse share their stories, they sometimes describe forgetting or repressing memories of their abuse for years, even decades, before the memories resurface, usually in the form of painful flashbacks. In an effort to understand…
More on Grooming: How Should I Respond if I Suspect Grooming Behavior?
Last week on the blog we discussed grooming, or the tactics abusers may use to prepare victims for abuse, including the red flags that may signal boundary violations and the potential for impending abuse.
What is Grooming, and How is it Related to Sexual Abuse in the Church?
Discussions of sexual abuse sometimes mention “grooming,” the tactics used by abusers to prepare their victims for abuse. It’s important to recognize grooming behaviors as potential early signs of abuse.
What Is Vos Estis, and How Is It Related to the Crisis in the Church?
On May 9, 2019, Pope Francis issued an Apostolic Letter called Vos Estis Lux Mundi, which translates as “You are the Light of the World.” The letter creates new Church law around sexual abuse for the worldwide Church—the Roman Catholic Church and the 23 Eastern Catholic Churches.