Letter to the faithful from Bishop Hartmayer of Savannah

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Peace and all good things!

I first want to thank you for taking the time and sharing your thoughts and feelings with me regarding the “Morality Crisis” in the Catholic Church today.

I agree with you that words alone are meaningless. We need to take swift and serious action to clean up our own house. As a relatively new bishop, I am scandalized, angered and deeply hurt by the cover-ups that have occurred over the last 70 years. I was not even born when some of this disgusting behavior was taking place.

Fortunately, during my childhood and throughout my lifetime, I came to know hundreds of priests and sisters who taught and guided me. Many are deceased now but my gratitude and my prayerful remembrance of them will continue until the end of my life.

I am so sorry that some of you did not have the same experience. I still share your anger and shame. I am embarrassed to be a bishop. I simply want to be a Franciscan priest. But if I can be more helpful to change this culture of immorality as a bishop then I will continue. We need the help of the laity to correct the horrific behavior of the clergy of the past. The Dallas Charter of 2002 has been effective in creating safer parishes and schools for our children. Please support your parish priest and me as we together strive to cease this sinful and criminal activity occurring within our Church. We now need to create a Charter to review the behavior of Bishops.

As a result of this current crisis I will never look upon the crucifix quite the same way. I see Jesus’ pain so much more vividly now. I now see more clearly our sins for which Jesus died. We can only make restitution by a significant change in our own lives. There is no free ticket to heaven. Dante is believed to have said that “the floor of hell is paved with the skulls of bad bishops and priests”. That is certainly a sobering thought.

Pope Francis calls us to prayer and penance for the intention of the victims of sexual abuse. We must also urge the bishops to open the closed doors of secrecy and let in the Spirit of Truth. We must practice what we preach.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Most Reverend Gregory J. Hartmayer, OFM Conv.

Bishop of Savannah