Interim head of review board urges greater lay involvement in church

Published: 2004-05-21

WINNETKA, Ill. (CNS) -- The interim chairwoman of the bishops' National Review Board traveled to a suburban Chicago parish stung by the clergy sex abuse crisis to champion lay involvement in church affairs. "Lay American Catholics rose to the occasion to tackle a complex and shameful issue," said Justice Anne M. Burke, speaking of the role of the all-lay review board in helping implement the bishops' 2002 sex abuse reforms. "As lay Catholics, each one of you has the mandate of baptism to participate in the life of the church. That means more than with your checkbook. This is what makes the scandal of the past redeemable," said Burke, an appellate court justice in Illinois. Burke and retired Chicago Auxiliary Bishop John R. Gorman attended a special May 16 Mass of healing and renewal at SS. Faith, Hope and Charity Parish in the Chicago suburb of Winnetka. A former pastor, Father Robert Kealy, was among the first Chicago archdiocesan priests to be removed from ministry because of alleged sexual abuse during the church-wide crisis that began early in 2002.

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