Columns
LEE | The Need for Fundamental Reform in the Catholic Church
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Anger, sorrow, disbelief — these were just some of the emotions I felt upon receiving news that our university’s Catholic chaplain Father Carsten Martensen received allegations for sexual abuse of a minor in the 1970s. To any other individual, this may have been just one of the many recent attestations of the Roman Catholic clergy’s sexual abuse cases. Yet, I had never personally experienced, nor did I ever expect, such allegations arising from within my very own community. The news came as an utter shock and disturbance — to think that the chaplain who had provided significant guidance and wisdom throughout my time here at Cornell may have possibly exploited a child and kept silent for all these years. Catholicism has been an important part of my life, especially at Cornell.