“[The sex abuse crisis is] not something that I think can be fixed by our priests alone,” Amanda Zamora told us this week. “The pain and the harm has been caused by the church and the solution will need to come from the church—and that includes all of us.”
Amanda is the chief audience officer at the Texas Tribune, which she joined in 2016. Previously, she spent 13 years on the East Coast working for organizations like The Huffington Post Investigative Fund, The Washington Post and ProPublica.
She recently wrote an article co-published in the Texas Tribune and the Washington Post called “I’m a Catholic survivor of abuse. I still want to hear the church say it’s sorry.” Amanda shared her own experience of surviving abuse within her family and how that has influenced her perspective on the church’s crisis.
In Signs of the Times we give an update on a couple of international stories we’ve been following and discuss a story from Chicago involving a priest burning a flag bearing a rainbow and a cross. We also look at a new policy for reporting sex abuse outlined by the U.S. bishops and how some churches are using coffeehouse culture to evangelize and work for justice.
Have you checked out our Facebook group yet? It’s a great way to talk about the episode and other Catholic news with other Jesuitical listeners. And as always, you can stay in touch via email, Twitter and Patreon.
Links from the show:
I'm a Catholic survivor of abuse. I still want to hear the church say it's sorry.
Pope Francis recognizes Chinese bishops ordained without papal approval
Indian bishop accused of raping nun is arrested
U.S. Catholic Church creates new process for reporting misconduct by its bishops
Flag-burning priest removed from Avondale parish by Cardinal Cupich
These Catholic coffee shops take evangelization to new grounds
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Angry Orchard’s Rosé Cider, because 👏Fall 👏 Is 👏 Here!👏
Thank you for your podcast. This is my first podcast from America. I am pleased with it. Amanda’s sharing was beautiful. As a retired MH Counselor I have dealt with many who have experienced sexual abuse. As a lifelong Catholic I agree the Church (institutional) has many challenges and changes to endure. I believe the “church” faces enormous work to overcome puritanical thinking and learn that sexuality is a wonderful God-given gift in which every human participates, and for which everyone needs tools and appropriate guidelines. Actually, the Church has these, but the “church” gets in the way, missing the fact that we participate in God’s Creation, but are distracted with pleasure, self-centered gratification and power. Keep up the good work, America Magazine.