December 7, 2018
Dear Students, Faculty, Staff and Administrators:
On October 9, I emailed the campus community regarding the sexual abuse crisis in the Catholic Church, and to express our institutional commitments in light of these tragic and horrifying revelations. Following on to that message, I am writing to inform you that the US West Province of the Society of Jesus (“the Jesuits”) has chosen to publish the names of Jesuits with credible allegations of sexual abuse of minors and vulnerable adults, dating back to 1950. Our understanding is that this listing, as well as a statement from Provincial Scott Santarosa, S.J. and a list of frequently asked questions (FAQ) was posted to the Jesuits West website today (www.JesuitsWest.org).
Jesuits West Province is the division of the worldwide Society of Jesus with a geographical area encompassing the states of Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Washington. The Province missions Jesuit priests to work in institutions throughout this region, including Gonzaga University.
There are names of Jesuit priests on this list who worked at Gonzaga University, or lived in the Jesuit retirement community and/or the Jesuit Infirmary that was located here. As a result of the bankruptcy of the former Oregon Province, some of these names have been published before; other names may be a new revelation. At the core of the decision to publish this list is an effort to increase the transparency and accountability of the Province and Church, as well as to seek justice for victims of abuse. I am encouraged by the Province’s decision to be forthcoming about this matter, and support Provincial Fr. Scott Santarosa’s efforts to do so.
Finally, I want to underscore that Gonzaga University is committed to the human dignity of every member of this community and zero tolerance for sexual misconduct of any form, whether specific to this crisis, or any incident involving members of our community. I encourage any member of our community who has experienced any form of abuse, misconduct or bias to make a report at one of the avenues offered at www.gonzaga.edu/report.
We stand in solidarity with those who have been the subject of abuse and victimized by abusive individuals. Fully repairing the pain of abuse may never be possible, but we must be and remain committed to continuously love, care for and protect members of our community, and resolve to seek justice with and for them.
Sincerely,
Thayne M. McCulloh, D.Phil.
President