March 16, 2016 – Excerpted from Put Out Into the Deep, Bishop DiMarzio’s column in The Tablet:

My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,

This week we celebrate the Feast of St. Joseph, protector of the Child Jesus and model for the Church in the protection of children. The sexual abuse crisis in the Church was highlighted, especially, at this year’s Academy Awards with the Oscar for Best Picture going to the movie “Spotlight.” The movie chronicled the investigative journalism work of the Boston Globe’s “Spotlight” unit which identified the depth of the sexual abuse crisis in the Archdiocese of Boston and precipitated a review of all dioceses.

In 2002, the Bishops of the United States met in Dallas, Texas and signed what is now known as the Dallas Charter. This Charter has guided the Church in the last almost 15 years to redouble its efforts in creating a safe environment for children within the Church. The issue of sexual abuse by clergy and other employees of the Church is a page in our history that we must not forget, since it causes us to see the harm and pain which has been caused as well as drives us to make sure that such a situation will never happen in the future.

Read the full text of the Bishop’s column on The Tablet website.