The UUMA Clergy Sexual Misconduct Apology Letter Minimizes UU Clergy Sexual Misconduct and Ignores Pedophilia And Rape Committed By UUA Clergy
I am reproducing the full text of the Unitarian Universalist Ministers' Association "Apology Letter for Sexual Misconduct" below. Since no electronic versions of it were available online, I had to retype the text from a screenshot of the letter that was posted on the Prairie Unitarian Universalist Church's website here. There may be a few minor errors in my retyping of this "letter of apology", so feel free to point out any errors that require correcting in the comments section.
I will provide my point-by-point commentary on this seriously flawed "institutional apology" below the reproduced text.
June 3, 2019
Dear UUMA Colleagues,
We, the Board of Trustees of the Unitarian Universalist Ministers' Association, wish to offer an apology on behalf of the institution, for the harm we have done by failing to take appropriate action arising from sexual misconduct committed by our members.
We regret our actions or inactions that have in any way ignored, minimized or not responded appropriately to their misconduct.
While the great majority of our colleagues have conducted themselves with the utmost honesty and integrity, a few have not, and our institution did not always live up to its responsibility to take appropriate action.
We offer this apology because we recognize that there has been a collective and systematic failure on the part of generations of UUMA leaders to take appropriate action arising from such misconduct.
Our systematic failure has been brought about by misplaced values:
We have valued the personhood of colleagues in ministry above the personhood of victims-survivors of sexual misconduct.
We have valued a complacent peace above a just conflict.
We have valued the health and stability of the institutions we serve above the health and stability of people who have been sexually abused.
As clergy, we are regularly moved to preach about atonement. We recognize that atonement is not embodied in or completed by an apology alone. An apology acknowledges that harm has been done, while atonement requires willingness to take responsibility for our role in the harm. We are sorry for our past inaction, and are committed to continue working for a transformation of the culture and values that allowed sexual misconduct to go unchecked.
Though the Unitarian Universalist Ministers' Association and its members have taken steps in every decade of our institution's existence to recognize, challenge, and punish sexual misconduct through policies and procedures, we acknowledge that the damage done to our faith and our collective ministry requires further healing. We must continue to expand awareness of sexual misconduct and the suffering it creates. We are committed to taking the steps necessary to move this important work forward, and to the vision of restored health through accountability.
To those who have been harmed by the actions or inactions of current or past members of the Unitarian Universalist Ministers' Association, we deeply and honestly apologize for the failures of our institution and commit ourselves to building a UUMA in which you will have faith that we will not repeat the sins of our past.
If you would like to speak to someone about this letter, learn how to file a complaint against a minister or find support resources, please visit www.uuma.org/misconduct.
In faith,
Cheryl M. Walker, President
Wendy Williams, President-Designate
Eric Kaminetzky, Vice President
Carmen Emerson, Secretary
Richard Speck, Treasurer
Elizabeth Stevens, Member At Large
Walter LeFlore, Member At Large
Christana McKnight, Member At Large
Melissa Carvill Ziemer, Director of Collegial Practices
Darrick Jackson, Director of Education
Janette Lallier, Director of Operations
Herewith my point-by-point critique of the UUMA's seriously flawed letter of apology.
:Dear UUMA Colleagues,
Why was the Unitarian Universalist Ministers' Association's "Apology Letter for Sexual Misconduct" sent only to members of the Unitarian Universalist Ministers' Association, and apparently kept hidden from the public? Did UUMA members read this "Apology Letter for Sexual Misconduct" to the congregants of their respective Unitarian Universalist congregations during a Sunday service, or otherwise communicate it to congregants? Surely an ostensible "Apology Letter for Sexual Misconduct" should first and foremost be addressed to the victims and survivors of clergy sexual misconduct.
:We, the Board of Trustees of the Unitarian Universalist Ministers' Association, wish to offer an apology on behalf of the institution, for the harm we have done by failing to take appropriate action arising from sexual misconduct committed by our members.
Again, who is this institutional apology actually meant for? It was sent to Unitarian Universalist ministers who are members of the UUMA. Did any victims-survivors of UU clergy sexual misconduct aka clergy sex abuse receive copies of this institutional apology for clergy sexual misconduct committed by UUMA members?
:We regret our actions or inactions that have in any way ignored, minimized or not responded appropriately to their misconduct.
This is quite ironic in that this "letter of apology" itself minimizes clergy sexual misconduct committed by UUA clergy, and even ignores some forms of clergy sexual misconduct in that it makes no mention of them whatsoever. . . It would be fair to say that this "apology" does not respond appropriately to the sexual misconduct of UUA ministers.
:While the great majority of our colleagues have conducted themselves with the utmost honesty and integrity, a few have not, and our institution did not always live up to its responsibility to take appropriate action.
Only "a few" UUMA members have not "conducted themselves with the utmost honesty and integrity"?!! Coulda fooled me. . . I know of dozens, if not hundreds, of Unitarian Universalist ministers who have most certainly not conducted themselves with the utmost honesty and integrity, indeed this UUMA "letter of apology" does not model "the utmost honesty and integrity" in that it minimizes the extent and seriousness of clergy sexual misconduct committed by UUMA members. As far as I am concerned, it is bordering on self-congratulatory narcissism for the UUMA Board to assert that "the great majority of our colleagues have conducted themselves with the utmost honesty and integrity". I am not aware of one single Unitarian Universalist minister who has conducted themself with the utmost honesty and integrity throughout their career as a UUA minister. Not one. . .
Getting back to that use of the word "few" to refer to those UUMA members who have not "conducted themselves with the utmost honesty and integrity". . . Those who are "in the know" about Unitarian Universalist clergy sexual misconduct matters know that literally hundreds of UUA congregations have been affected by clergy sexual misconduct of one kind or another. A group of interim ministers, who took it upon themselves to count the number of UUA congregations that have had clergy sexual misconduct complaints brought against one or more of their ministers, stopped counting when they reached 400. That is 40% of UUA congregations. How could only "a few" UUMA members cause a minimum of 400 UUA congregations to be affected by clergy sexual misconduct?
And 400 UUA congregations is the *minimum* number of UU congregations affected by clergy sexual misconduct of one kind or another. Other people "in the know" about Unitarian Universalism's clergy sexual misconduct problem have estimated that 600-700 UUA congregations have been affected by clergy sexual misconduct. It is beyond belief that just "a few" UUMA members could commit clergy sexual misconduct in 400 or more UUA congregations.
Getting back to that euphemistic use of the phrase "the utmost honesty and integrity". . . Is it even remotely appropriate for the UUMA Board to use the euphemism that "a few" UUMA members have not "conducted themselves with the utmost honesty and integrity" to describe UUMA members who have committed clergy sexual misconduct which includes what the UUA's Canadian attorney, Stikeman Elliott Barristers & Solicitors lawyer Maitre Marc-André Coulombe has described as "such despicable crimes as pedophilia and rape"?
The UUMA's assertion that "our institution did not always live up to its responsibility to take appropriate action" is yet another Unitarian Universalist minimization of the negligent and complicit manner in which the Unitarian Universalist Ministers' Association, the Unitarian Universalist Association aka UUA, and the UUA's very aptly named Ministerial *Fellowship* Committee responded to complaints about clergy sexual misconduct, to say nothing of complaints about non-sexual misconduct committed by UUA clergy. Asserting that "our institution did not always live up to its responsibility to take appropriate action" suggests that there were only a few lapses but that, on the whole, the UUMA did "live up to its responsibility to take appropriate action". Nothing could be further from the truth.
:We offer this apology because we recognize that there has been a collective and systematic failure on the part of generations of UUMA leaders to take appropriate action arising from such misconduct.
This statement actually contradicts the UUMA's assertions in the previous paragraph only "a few" UUMA members are guilty of committing clergy sexual misconduct of one kind or another, and the "less than honest" misleading insinuation that the UUMA generally did "live up to its responsibility to take appropriate action", but did not *always* do so. . . This confession is MUCH closer to the Truth, but it does not negate the previous minimization in this "apology".
:Our systematic failure has been brought about by misplaced values:
That's one way of putting it, and another self-serving minimization. . .
:We have valued the personhood of colleagues in ministry above the personhood of victims-survivors of sexual misconduct.
Yes, the UUMA, the UUA, the UUA's Ministerial *Fellowship* Committee, and numerous UUA congregations most certainly have valued the personhood of UUA ministers above the personhood of victims-survivors of sexual misconduct.
:We have valued a complacent peace above a just conflict.
Really?!! Does the UUMA Board genuinely believe that "a collective and systematic failure on the part of generations of UUMA leaders to take appropriate action arising from such misconduct" brought "a complacent peace" to the hundreds of UUA congregations that were, and still are. . . affected by UU clergy sexual misconduct?
:We have valued the health and stability of the institutions we serve above the health and stability of people who have been sexually abused.
Again, does the UUMA Board genuinely believe that "a collective and systematic failure on the part of generations of UUMA leaders to take appropriate action arising from such misconduct" contribute to "the health and stability" of the institutions the UUMA serves. i.e. The literally hundreds of UUA congregations that were, and still are. . . affected by UU clergy sexual misconduct?
:As clergy, we are regularly moved to preach about atonement. We recognize that atonement is not embodied in or completed by an apology alone. An apology acknowledges that harm has been done, while atonement requires willingness to take responsibility for our role in the harm.
This "letter of apology" clearly minimizes, if not selectively ignores. . . the harm that has been done, not only to the direct victims of clergy sexual misconduct, but also their families, and the UUA congregations that the UUMA serves. This seriously flawed apology is what I call "a sorry excuse for an apology". I look forward to the UUMA issuing a new and improved apology that will be delivered during the 2020 General Assembly of the Unitarian Universalist Association. I see little evidence of the UUMA having in genuine willingness to take responsibility for its role in the harm in this "letter of apology", and plenty of subtle hints that it will do little or nothing to try to provide genuine justice for victims of "historic" clergy abuse committed by UUMA members.
:We are sorry for our past inaction, and are committed to continue working for a transformation of the culture and values that allowed sexual misconduct to go unchecked.
I would certainly encourage the Unitarian Universalist Ministers' Association to "continue working for a transformation of the culture and values that allowed sexual misconduct to go unchecked", and I see some evidence of this in proposed revisions to the UUMA Guidelines etc., but this apology is seriously flawed in not only its actual content, but also how it has been delivered, or indeed not delivered. . .
:Though the Unitarian Universalist Ministers' Association and its members have taken steps in every decade of our institution's existence to recognize, challenge, and punish sexual misconduct through policies and procedures, we acknowledge that the damage done to our faith and our collective ministry requires further healing.
Any "steps" the Unitarian Universalist Ministers' Association and its members took in every decade of the UUMA's existence to recognize, challenge, and punish sexual misconduct through policies and procedures were minimal and inadequate "baby steps", and those "baby steps" were FAR outnumbered by steps taken to minimize clergy sexual misconduct, protect abusive UUMA members from accountability, and ignore, if not outright reject, clergy misconduct complaints. Hundreds of UUA congregations have been affected by clergy sexual misconduct but, to my knowledge, only a few dozen UUA ministers have ever faced any accountability for their clergy sexual misconduct, and often that accountability has been quite minimal and effectively meaningless. Need I mention that "a few dozen", which may only be 2 dozen or so, is still rather more than just "a few"?
The policies and procedures of the UUMA, UUA, and MFC were and still are flawed and inadequate, and they often went completely unenforced in any case. I pointed out serious flaws in the policies and procedures of the UUMA and MFC almost a decade ago during the April 2010 meeting of the UUA Board of Trustees. My criticism and recommendations for reform were ignored, and those flaws still exist, not the least of these flaws being the complete absence of policies and procedures that would allow clergy misconduct complainants the ability to appeal bad rulings made by the UUA or MFC.
:We must continue to expand awareness of sexual misconduct and the suffering it creates.
Good. How about expanding awareness of Unitarian Universalist clergy sexual misconduct, and the suffering it creates, by publicly acknowledging that a certain number of UUA ministers are guilty of what the UUA's Canadian attorney describes as "such despicable crimes as pedophilia and rape"?
:We are committed to taking the steps necessary to move this important work forward, and to the vision of restored health through accountability.
It will be interesting to see just how committed the UUMA is in the coming weeks, months, and years. . .
:To those who have been harmed by the actions or inactions of current or past members of the Unitarian Universalist Ministers' Association, we deeply and honestly apologize for the failures of our institution and commit ourselves to building a UUMA in which you will have faith that we will not repeat the sins of our past.
Are "those who have been harmed by the actions or inactions of current or past members of the Unitarian Universalist Ministers' Association" even aware of this UUMA letter of apology for clergy sexual misconduct? It was sent to UUMA members, but there is little evidence that any of the hundreds if not thousands of victims-survivors of Unitarian Universalist clergy sexual misconduct were ever made aware of it. This is probably just as well in my opinion, because I expect that many victims-survivors would not be impressed by this seriously flawed apology that minimizes Unitarian Universalism's clergy misconduct problem, and completely ignores the most serious forms of UU clergy sex abuse. i.e. "such despicable crimes as pedophilia and rape".
:If you would like to speak to someone about this letter, learn how to file a complaint against a minister or find support resources, please visit www.uuma.org/misconduct.
So who actually saw this "letter of apology"? I only became aware of it because one single UUA congregation saw fit to post a screenshot of it to its website, and a Google search for - Unitarian clergy misconduct - that I ran on All Souls Day found it on the 2nd page of search results almost five months after it was sent out in early June.
I will provide my point-by-point commentary on this seriously flawed "institutional apology" below the reproduced text.
June 3, 2019
Dear UUMA Colleagues,
We, the Board of Trustees of the Unitarian Universalist Ministers' Association, wish to offer an apology on behalf of the institution, for the harm we have done by failing to take appropriate action arising from sexual misconduct committed by our members.
We regret our actions or inactions that have in any way ignored, minimized or not responded appropriately to their misconduct.
While the great majority of our colleagues have conducted themselves with the utmost honesty and integrity, a few have not, and our institution did not always live up to its responsibility to take appropriate action.
We offer this apology because we recognize that there has been a collective and systematic failure on the part of generations of UUMA leaders to take appropriate action arising from such misconduct.
Our systematic failure has been brought about by misplaced values:
We have valued the personhood of colleagues in ministry above the personhood of victims-survivors of sexual misconduct.
We have valued a complacent peace above a just conflict.
We have valued the health and stability of the institutions we serve above the health and stability of people who have been sexually abused.
As clergy, we are regularly moved to preach about atonement. We recognize that atonement is not embodied in or completed by an apology alone. An apology acknowledges that harm has been done, while atonement requires willingness to take responsibility for our role in the harm. We are sorry for our past inaction, and are committed to continue working for a transformation of the culture and values that allowed sexual misconduct to go unchecked.
Though the Unitarian Universalist Ministers' Association and its members have taken steps in every decade of our institution's existence to recognize, challenge, and punish sexual misconduct through policies and procedures, we acknowledge that the damage done to our faith and our collective ministry requires further healing. We must continue to expand awareness of sexual misconduct and the suffering it creates. We are committed to taking the steps necessary to move this important work forward, and to the vision of restored health through accountability.
To those who have been harmed by the actions or inactions of current or past members of the Unitarian Universalist Ministers' Association, we deeply and honestly apologize for the failures of our institution and commit ourselves to building a UUMA in which you will have faith that we will not repeat the sins of our past.
If you would like to speak to someone about this letter, learn how to file a complaint against a minister or find support resources, please visit www.uuma.org/misconduct.
In faith,
Cheryl M. Walker, President
Wendy Williams, President-Designate
Eric Kaminetzky, Vice President
Carmen Emerson, Secretary
Richard Speck, Treasurer
Elizabeth Stevens, Member At Large
Walter LeFlore, Member At Large
Christana McKnight, Member At Large
Melissa Carvill Ziemer, Director of Collegial Practices
Darrick Jackson, Director of Education
Janette Lallier, Director of Operations
Herewith my point-by-point critique of the UUMA's seriously flawed letter of apology.
:Dear UUMA Colleagues,
Why was the Unitarian Universalist Ministers' Association's "Apology Letter for Sexual Misconduct" sent only to members of the Unitarian Universalist Ministers' Association, and apparently kept hidden from the public? Did UUMA members read this "Apology Letter for Sexual Misconduct" to the congregants of their respective Unitarian Universalist congregations during a Sunday service, or otherwise communicate it to congregants? Surely an ostensible "Apology Letter for Sexual Misconduct" should first and foremost be addressed to the victims and survivors of clergy sexual misconduct.
:We, the Board of Trustees of the Unitarian Universalist Ministers' Association, wish to offer an apology on behalf of the institution, for the harm we have done by failing to take appropriate action arising from sexual misconduct committed by our members.
Again, who is this institutional apology actually meant for? It was sent to Unitarian Universalist ministers who are members of the UUMA. Did any victims-survivors of UU clergy sexual misconduct aka clergy sex abuse receive copies of this institutional apology for clergy sexual misconduct committed by UUMA members?
:We regret our actions or inactions that have in any way ignored, minimized or not responded appropriately to their misconduct.
This is quite ironic in that this "letter of apology" itself minimizes clergy sexual misconduct committed by UUA clergy, and even ignores some forms of clergy sexual misconduct in that it makes no mention of them whatsoever. . . It would be fair to say that this "apology" does not respond appropriately to the sexual misconduct of UUA ministers.
:While the great majority of our colleagues have conducted themselves with the utmost honesty and integrity, a few have not, and our institution did not always live up to its responsibility to take appropriate action.
Only "a few" UUMA members have not "conducted themselves with the utmost honesty and integrity"?!! Coulda fooled me. . . I know of dozens, if not hundreds, of Unitarian Universalist ministers who have most certainly not conducted themselves with the utmost honesty and integrity, indeed this UUMA "letter of apology" does not model "the utmost honesty and integrity" in that it minimizes the extent and seriousness of clergy sexual misconduct committed by UUMA members. As far as I am concerned, it is bordering on self-congratulatory narcissism for the UUMA Board to assert that "the great majority of our colleagues have conducted themselves with the utmost honesty and integrity". I am not aware of one single Unitarian Universalist minister who has conducted themself with the utmost honesty and integrity throughout their career as a UUA minister. Not one. . .
Getting back to that use of the word "few" to refer to those UUMA members who have not "conducted themselves with the utmost honesty and integrity". . . Those who are "in the know" about Unitarian Universalist clergy sexual misconduct matters know that literally hundreds of UUA congregations have been affected by clergy sexual misconduct of one kind or another. A group of interim ministers, who took it upon themselves to count the number of UUA congregations that have had clergy sexual misconduct complaints brought against one or more of their ministers, stopped counting when they reached 400. That is 40% of UUA congregations. How could only "a few" UUMA members cause a minimum of 400 UUA congregations to be affected by clergy sexual misconduct?
And 400 UUA congregations is the *minimum* number of UU congregations affected by clergy sexual misconduct of one kind or another. Other people "in the know" about Unitarian Universalism's clergy sexual misconduct problem have estimated that 600-700 UUA congregations have been affected by clergy sexual misconduct. It is beyond belief that just "a few" UUMA members could commit clergy sexual misconduct in 400 or more UUA congregations.
Getting back to that euphemistic use of the phrase "the utmost honesty and integrity". . . Is it even remotely appropriate for the UUMA Board to use the euphemism that "a few" UUMA members have not "conducted themselves with the utmost honesty and integrity" to describe UUMA members who have committed clergy sexual misconduct which includes what the UUA's Canadian attorney, Stikeman Elliott Barristers & Solicitors lawyer Maitre Marc-André Coulombe has described as "such despicable crimes as pedophilia and rape"?
The UUMA's assertion that "our institution did not always live up to its responsibility to take appropriate action" is yet another Unitarian Universalist minimization of the negligent and complicit manner in which the Unitarian Universalist Ministers' Association, the Unitarian Universalist Association aka UUA, and the UUA's very aptly named Ministerial *Fellowship* Committee responded to complaints about clergy sexual misconduct, to say nothing of complaints about non-sexual misconduct committed by UUA clergy. Asserting that "our institution did not always live up to its responsibility to take appropriate action" suggests that there were only a few lapses but that, on the whole, the UUMA did "live up to its responsibility to take appropriate action". Nothing could be further from the truth.
:We offer this apology because we recognize that there has been a collective and systematic failure on the part of generations of UUMA leaders to take appropriate action arising from such misconduct.
This statement actually contradicts the UUMA's assertions in the previous paragraph only "a few" UUMA members are guilty of committing clergy sexual misconduct of one kind or another, and the "less than honest" misleading insinuation that the UUMA generally did "live up to its responsibility to take appropriate action", but did not *always* do so. . . This confession is MUCH closer to the Truth, but it does not negate the previous minimization in this "apology".
:Our systematic failure has been brought about by misplaced values:
That's one way of putting it, and another self-serving minimization. . .
:We have valued the personhood of colleagues in ministry above the personhood of victims-survivors of sexual misconduct.
Yes, the UUMA, the UUA, the UUA's Ministerial *Fellowship* Committee, and numerous UUA congregations most certainly have valued the personhood of UUA ministers above the personhood of victims-survivors of sexual misconduct.
:We have valued a complacent peace above a just conflict.
Really?!! Does the UUMA Board genuinely believe that "a collective and systematic failure on the part of generations of UUMA leaders to take appropriate action arising from such misconduct" brought "a complacent peace" to the hundreds of UUA congregations that were, and still are. . . affected by UU clergy sexual misconduct?
:We have valued the health and stability of the institutions we serve above the health and stability of people who have been sexually abused.
Again, does the UUMA Board genuinely believe that "a collective and systematic failure on the part of generations of UUMA leaders to take appropriate action arising from such misconduct" contribute to "the health and stability" of the institutions the UUMA serves. i.e. The literally hundreds of UUA congregations that were, and still are. . . affected by UU clergy sexual misconduct?
:As clergy, we are regularly moved to preach about atonement. We recognize that atonement is not embodied in or completed by an apology alone. An apology acknowledges that harm has been done, while atonement requires willingness to take responsibility for our role in the harm.
This "letter of apology" clearly minimizes, if not selectively ignores. . . the harm that has been done, not only to the direct victims of clergy sexual misconduct, but also their families, and the UUA congregations that the UUMA serves. This seriously flawed apology is what I call "a sorry excuse for an apology". I look forward to the UUMA issuing a new and improved apology that will be delivered during the 2020 General Assembly of the Unitarian Universalist Association. I see little evidence of the UUMA having in genuine willingness to take responsibility for its role in the harm in this "letter of apology", and plenty of subtle hints that it will do little or nothing to try to provide genuine justice for victims of "historic" clergy abuse committed by UUMA members.
:We are sorry for our past inaction, and are committed to continue working for a transformation of the culture and values that allowed sexual misconduct to go unchecked.
I would certainly encourage the Unitarian Universalist Ministers' Association to "continue working for a transformation of the culture and values that allowed sexual misconduct to go unchecked", and I see some evidence of this in proposed revisions to the UUMA Guidelines etc., but this apology is seriously flawed in not only its actual content, but also how it has been delivered, or indeed not delivered. . .
:Though the Unitarian Universalist Ministers' Association and its members have taken steps in every decade of our institution's existence to recognize, challenge, and punish sexual misconduct through policies and procedures, we acknowledge that the damage done to our faith and our collective ministry requires further healing.
Any "steps" the Unitarian Universalist Ministers' Association and its members took in every decade of the UUMA's existence to recognize, challenge, and punish sexual misconduct through policies and procedures were minimal and inadequate "baby steps", and those "baby steps" were FAR outnumbered by steps taken to minimize clergy sexual misconduct, protect abusive UUMA members from accountability, and ignore, if not outright reject, clergy misconduct complaints. Hundreds of UUA congregations have been affected by clergy sexual misconduct but, to my knowledge, only a few dozen UUA ministers have ever faced any accountability for their clergy sexual misconduct, and often that accountability has been quite minimal and effectively meaningless. Need I mention that "a few dozen", which may only be 2 dozen or so, is still rather more than just "a few"?
The policies and procedures of the UUMA, UUA, and MFC were and still are flawed and inadequate, and they often went completely unenforced in any case. I pointed out serious flaws in the policies and procedures of the UUMA and MFC almost a decade ago during the April 2010 meeting of the UUA Board of Trustees. My criticism and recommendations for reform were ignored, and those flaws still exist, not the least of these flaws being the complete absence of policies and procedures that would allow clergy misconduct complainants the ability to appeal bad rulings made by the UUA or MFC.
:We must continue to expand awareness of sexual misconduct and the suffering it creates.
Good. How about expanding awareness of Unitarian Universalist clergy sexual misconduct, and the suffering it creates, by publicly acknowledging that a certain number of UUA ministers are guilty of what the UUA's Canadian attorney describes as "such despicable crimes as pedophilia and rape"?
:We are committed to taking the steps necessary to move this important work forward, and to the vision of restored health through accountability.
It will be interesting to see just how committed the UUMA is in the coming weeks, months, and years. . .
:To those who have been harmed by the actions or inactions of current or past members of the Unitarian Universalist Ministers' Association, we deeply and honestly apologize for the failures of our institution and commit ourselves to building a UUMA in which you will have faith that we will not repeat the sins of our past.
Are "those who have been harmed by the actions or inactions of current or past members of the Unitarian Universalist Ministers' Association" even aware of this UUMA letter of apology for clergy sexual misconduct? It was sent to UUMA members, but there is little evidence that any of the hundreds if not thousands of victims-survivors of Unitarian Universalist clergy sexual misconduct were ever made aware of it. This is probably just as well in my opinion, because I expect that many victims-survivors would not be impressed by this seriously flawed apology that minimizes Unitarian Universalism's clergy misconduct problem, and completely ignores the most serious forms of UU clergy sex abuse. i.e. "such despicable crimes as pedophilia and rape".
:If you would like to speak to someone about this letter, learn how to file a complaint against a minister or find support resources, please visit www.uuma.org/misconduct.
So who actually saw this "letter of apology"? I only became aware of it because one single UUA congregation saw fit to post a screenshot of it to its website, and a Google search for - Unitarian clergy misconduct - that I ran on All Souls Day found it on the 2nd page of search results almost five months after it was sent out in early June.
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