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…… Read more “What Should I Do If Someone Tells Me They’ve Been Abused? The 5-Step VEEEL Method”
Category: Explainer
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…… Read more “Case of Prominent Jesuit Highlights Church Failures Around Abuse of Adults “
5 Things Every Priest Should Know About Sexual Abuse
One weekend at a friend’s house, I ran into a priest friend who asked with some concern about my wife, Sara, who is the executive director of Awake Milwaukee. It quickly became apparent that he had read some of her Read more
Explainer: What Is Restorative Justice, And How Can It Help Heal the Catholic Church?
Today we revisit our 2021 explainer on restorative justice and the Church, featuring insights from Janine Geske, retired Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice and leading advocate for these…… Read more “Explainer: What Is Restorative Justice, And How Can It Help Heal the Catholic Church?”
What Should I Do If Someone Tells Me They’ve Been Abused? The 5-Step VEEEL Method
During Awake’s Courageous Conversation in May, “Trauma and Resilience in the Body of Christ,” panelist Deborah Rodriguez, MD, described the five-step method that she recommends using if…… Read more “What Should I Do If Someone Tells Me They’ve Been Abused? The 5-Step VEEEL Method”
Why Do Victim-Survivors Sometimes Forget Their Abuse?
This week we revisit a post we originally published in June 2020, which explores the experience of “dissociation” in the aftermath of trauma. When survivors of sexual…… Read more “Why Do Victim-Survivors Sometimes Forget Their Abuse?”
What is Grooming, and How is it Related to Sexual Abuse in the Church?
This week we revisit a post from 2020, exploring the concept of grooming, or the ways some perpetrators prepare victims for abuse. Making families and institutions such…… Read more “What is Grooming, and How is it Related to Sexual Abuse in the Church?”
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 Read more
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. Retired Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Janine Geske, an expert Read more
The Vatican Releases the McCarrick Report, and Survivors Respond
Today the Vatican finally released its report on former cardinal Theodore McCarrick, once considered one of the most powerful cardinals in the United States. The document is 461 pages long, and will take time to read and digest fully, but here Awake offers some basic Read more
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