Archive for category Clergy Sexual Abuse
Report details ‘staggering’ church sex abuse in Maryland / Associated Press
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Catholic Bishops, church reform, Clergy, Clergy Sexual Abuse, Voice of the Faithful on April 10, 2023
‘The staggering pervasiveness of the abuse itself underscores the culpability of the Church hierarchy,’ the report said.
By Lea Skene, Brian Witte, and Sarah Brumfield, Associated Press
“More than 150 Catholic priests and others associated with the Archdiocese of Baltimore sexually abused over 600 children and often escaped accountability, according to a long-awaited state report released Wednesday (Apr. 8) that revealed the scope of abuse spanning 80 years and accused church leaders of decades of coverups.
“The report paints a damning picture of the archdiocese, which is the oldest Roman Catholic diocese in the country and spans much of Maryland. Some parishes, schools and congregations had more than one abuser at the same time — including St. Mark Parish in Catonsville, which had 11 abusers living and working there between 1964 and 2004. One deacon admitted to molesting over 100 children. Another priest was allowed to feign hepatitis treatment and make other excuses to avoid facing abuse allegations.
“The Maryland Attorney General’s Office released the findings of their years-long investigation during Holy Week — considered the most sacred time of year in Christianity ahead of Easter Sunday — and said the number of victims is likely far higher. The report was redacted to protect confidential grand jury materials, meaning the identities of some accused clergy were removed.”
By Lea Skene, Brian Witte, and Sarah Brumfield, Associated Press — Read more …
Voice of the Faithful sees clergy abuse expert’s resignation as surprising and expected
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Clergy Sexual Abuse, Voice of the Faithful on March 30, 2023
Voice of the Faithful Statement, March 30, 2023, contact Nick Ingala, nickingala@votf.org, (781) 559-3360
BOSTON, Mass., March 30, 2023―Clergy sexual abuse in the Catholic Church filled the media yesterday with the news that the Jesuit priest who is a leading expert on safeguarding children from clergy abuse and member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Children resigned from the commission. For Voice of the Faithful, an organization long dedicated to transparency and accountability in the Church regarding clergy abuse, the news was alternately surprising and expected.
In resigning, Fr. Hans Zollner was quoted as saying “the protection of children and vulnerable persons must be at the heart of the Catholic Church’s mission,” and he had “grown increasingly concerned with how the commission, in my perception, has gone about achieving that goal, particularly in the areas of responsibility, compliance, accountability and transparency.”*
Zollner’s resignation from the commission is reminiscent of the 2017 resignation of respected Irish clergy abuse survivor Marie Collins. She said at the time that she was frustrated by resistance to reforms from inside the Vatican, telling National Catholic Reporter in a statement that reluctance to implement reforms “is a reflection of how this whole abuse crisis in the church has been handled: with fine words in public and contrary actions behind closed doors.”**
“Although five years have passed since Marie’s resignation,” said Mary Pat Fox, VOTF president, “it seems nothing has changed. Zollner’s resignation also validates what we have found. The Church says one thing and does another. In 2022, for example, VOTF launched our first annual review of diocesan child protection policies and found many dioceses to be severely lacking 20 years after the Dallas Charter. I would have thought every diocese would have a homepage link to child protection policies and guidelines and how to report abuse to the police. This was not the case.”
At VOTF, the news of Zollner’s resignation was surprising because, up until that moment, he had been a supporter of the Vatican’s handling of clergy abuse, as represented in Pope Francis’ reforms. The news was expected, however, for precisely the reasons he and Collins had noted, and Fox underscored. Although the Vatican and Church hierarchy continue to express sorrow for the abuse and attempt to enact measures to prevent it and protect children, these efforts have not gotten to the roots of the problem. VOTF sees those roots, in part, in clericalism, insufficient efforts to counter a culture of secrecy in the handling of abuse cases and in financial activities, lack of accountability for perpetrators and abettors, especially regarding the hierarchy, and self-reporting and self-auditing of child protection policies and practices.
“Just when we think we might be making strides in recovering from the clergy abuse crisis,” Fox said, “we are reminded that the Church has not yet moved off the dime where clerical culture trumps the protection of our children and vulnerable adults.”
She continued, “If someone as knowledgeable, experienced, and connected as Hans Zollner is now calling out the Vatican for continuing to drag its feet on an issue first significantly raised three decades ago by Fr. Thomas Doyle’s 1995 report to the Vatican, hope fades in the face of the Church’s intransigence. Voice of the Faithful, however, will remain committed to our mission of raising Spirit-led voices for reform.”
Fox pointed out that VOTF now conducts three annual nationwide reviews aimed at exposing the Church’s lack of transparency and accountability: one in diocesan finances; a second covering compliance with child protection policies and guidelines; and a third regarding the level of lay involvement in Church governance exhibited in diocesan finance councils.
*Jesuit sex abuse expert Hans Zollner resigns from papal commission over ‘urgent concerns,’ by Carol Glatz, Catholic News Service, in America: The Jesuit Review
**Abuse victim quits Vatican commission, citing ‘Resistance,’ by Elizabetta Povoledo and Gaia Pianigiani, The New York Times
Voice of the Faithful’s® mission is to provide a prayerful voice, attentive to the Spirit, through which the Faithful can actively participate in the governance and guidance of the Catholic Church. VOTF’s goals are to support survivors of clergy sexual abuse, to support priests of integrity, and to shape structural change within the Catholic Church. More information is at www.votf.org.
Jesuit resigns from pope’s clergy abuse commission, criticizing group’s leadership / National Catholic Reporter
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Clergy Sexual Abuse, Pope Francis, Voice of the Faithful on March 29, 2023
But with (German Jesuit Fr. Hans) Zollner’s departure, the commission has now lost someone long-perceived as a key ally of Francis’ reform efforts, having been selected by Francis as one of the main organizers of his historic February 2019 abuse summit at the Vatican.
By Christopher White, National Catholic Reporter
“One of Pope Francis’ key advisers on clergy sexual abuse has resigned from the pontiff’s child protection commission and has launched searing criticisms against the organization’s leadership and its alleged lack of transparency.
“The president of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, Boston’s Cardinal Sean O’Malley, announced on March 29 that one of the commission’s founding members, German Jesuit Fr. Hans Zollner, had asked the pope ‘to be relieved of his duties as a member.’
“O’Malley’s statement, which praised Zollner as a global ‘ambassador’ for combating clergy sexual abuse, said that Zollner had resigned due to his new appointment earlier this month as a consultant to the Diocese of Rome’s safeguarding office.
Yet in an unusually blunt 400-word statement issued several hours later, Zollner said that after nine years of service on the commission, it was ‘impossible’ to continue given his mounting concerns ‘in the areas of responsibility, compliance, accountability and transparency.'”
By Christopher White, National Catholic Reporter — Read more …
This April 2023 help Voice of the Faithful mark National Child Abuse Prevention Month
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Clergy Sexual Abuse, Voice of the Faithful on March 23, 2023
By Patricia T. Gomez, Ph.D., Voice of the Faithful Trustee and Protection of Children Working Group Co-Chair
The Voice of the Faithful Protection of Children Team continues its work to ensure the safety of children in our faith communities. Building on early VOTF efforts, we call attention to the importance of ongoing local efforts to maintain safe environments during April, which the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services has designated National Child Abuse Prevention Month.
In recent years POC members have noted a de-emphasis on maintaining safe environments in our faith communities. This de-emphasis diverts us from the shame and horror that abuse of children occurred and persisted for so many years in our parishes. But the need to safeguard our children and those at risk remains constant.
This annual observance in April is a powerful reminder that urges ongoing Child Abuse Prevention efforts! Moreover, timely reminders prompt us to remain vigilant and renew our safe environment efforts. Especially during this month, we renew our commitment to protect children and the vulnerable among us in every diocese and faith community.
ONGOING CHILD PROTECTION EFFORTS
What can you do? Here are a few suggestions.
At the diocesan level: The POC team recommends looking at the abuse prevention measures posted on your diocesan website. Does your diocese promote the annual observance of National Child Abuse Prevention month in April? If not ask your diocesan safe environment coordinator to do so on the diocese’s website. Here is a link to resources on the U.S. Catholic Bishops Conference website — https://www.usccb.org/resources/child-abuse-prevention-month. Moreover, this is a timely reminder for us in the pews to evaluate diocesan child protection measures and to determine whether we are living out those measures in our local parish communities.
At the local level: Are the posted diocesan measures for abuse prevention and safe environments comprehensive and, most importantly, are they carried out in your faith community? Call your parish safe environment coordinator and start a conversation. A good place to begin is asking if your faith community provides annual abuse prevention training to catechists, lectors, and eucharistic ministers. Become an advocate for safe environments in your parish!
The VOTF Safety Sunday project provides short tips for publication in parish bulletins, especially during National Child Abuse Prevention Month in April. Safe environment coordinators in many parishes have continued to utilize VOTF resources. Here is a link to April: Child Protection Month on VOTF’s webpage — Child Protection – Voice of The Faithful (votf.org).
At the national level: VOTF calls for the enforcement of standards set in the U.S. bishops’ 2002 Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People and the Essential Norms. And we call for transparency and change in faulted structures and attitudes that foment clericalism, especially the insular and authoritarian culture fostered in many dioceses.
Recently, the POC Team investigated how the U.S. institutional church presents efforts to prevent abuse and respond to those abused. We completed the first diocesan website review for Child Protection and Safe Environment efforts last spring. The review scored the performances of the 176 dioceses in the U.S. on a series of thirty-three questions. A link to the detailed findings from that review is available on VOTF’s Child Protection webpage — Child Protection – Voice of The Faithful (votf.org). The second annual review will take place later this year.
Results of this first review indicate the need to enhance diocesan child protection policies and safe environment measures. Actions by all are essential to keep children safe in our faith communities:
- Clearly-stated, publicly-available, and comprehensive diocesan guidelines for safe environments will provide measurable standards that can be modeled in parishes and are essential to prevent further child abuse.
- The USCCB should more frequently update its Charter and Norms.
- The USCCB National Review Board should more closely monitor compliance with the bishops’ own standards for child protection by augmenting annual audits.
- VOTF will continue to monitor diocesan child protection measures on annually.
Parishioners have a key role to ensure the protection of children in our parishes. We need to work with diocesan and parish safe environment personnel to bolster child protection guidelines at the diocesan level and ensure that safety measures are carried out in their faith communities.
Alive in the life of Jesus, the entire People of God can transform into a sacramental community where children, youth, and the vulnerable are nurtured and protected in safe environments.
Keep the faith; change the church!
Click here to read Voice of the Faithful’s Child Protection webpage …
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Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego accused of fraudulently transferring assets to foil sex abuse liability / Los Angeles Times
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Catholic Bishops, Catholic Church Finances, Clergy Sexual Abuse, financial transparency, Voice of the Faithful on February 27, 2023
The total tax assessed value of those properties is $453 million, Irwin Zalkin, a San Diego lawyer who represents about 120 sex-abuse claimants, said at a news conference Wednesday (Feb. 22).
By Greg Moran, Los Angeles Times
“A sweeping lawsuit filed in San Diego Superior Court accuses the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego of a scheme to fraudulently transfer hundreds of properties to avoid potentially large payouts stemming from a new wave of lawsuits alleging abuse by clergy members.
“The suit was filed on Tuesday, less than two weeks after the diocese held a news conference warning it might have to file bankruptcy for the second time since 2007, because of the threat from potentially large payouts to approximately 400 people who have sued alleging they were abused years ago.
“The latest lawsuit said that the diocese transferred 291 properties into real estate holding companies in late 2019, just after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill that opened a three-year window for people who claimed they were victims of past sexual abuse to file new claims, long after the legal timeline had passed.”
By Greg Moran, Los Angeles Times — Read more …
New archive of Santa Fe clergy abuse documents hailed as unprecedented / National Catholic Reporter
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Catholic Bishops, Catholic Church Finances, Clergy Sexual Abuse, Voice of the Faithful on February 22, 2023
The archive agreement states that the archive will include documents ‘including but not limited to’ clergy personnel files, other perpetrator personnel files, victim files, investigative files, investigative transcripts, depositions, clergy risk assessments, minutes of Personnel Board and Permanent Review Board meetings, assignment records, seminary records, statements given to investigators or law enforcement, and under oath proof of claim forms from the Chapter 11 case.
By Elizabeth Hardin-Burrola, National Catholic Reporter
“An unprecedented public archive of clergy sexual abuse documents is being established at the University of New Mexico thanks to a collaborative agreement between abuse survivors and the Archdiocese of Santa Fe.
“The archive, documenting one of the U.S. Catholic Church’s epicenters of sexual abuse and coverup, is the result of a commitment Santa Fe Archbishop John Wester made to the creditors’ committee that represented clergy sex abuse claimants in the archdiocese’s concluding Chapter 11 bankruptcy case.
“The archdiocese, five participating religious orders and their insurers are funding the $121.5 million settlement trust, finalized in December 2022. In addition, the religious orders will contribute more than $7.7 million for specific claims against their members.
“Albuquerque attorney Brad Hall, along with law partner Levi Monagle and co-counsel Lisa Ford, represented 145 abuse survivors in the bankruptcy — more than one-third of the 395 claimants. Hall told NCR he hopes Santa Fe’s abuse document archive will become a template for current and future Chapter 11 cases involving sexual abuse.”
By Elizabeth Hardin-Burrola, National Catholic Reporter — Read more …
A priest scandal rocked the Belleville Diocese 30 years ago. How have things changed? / Belleville News-Democrat
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Clergy Sexual Abuse, financial transparency, Voice of the Faithful on February 14, 2023
Recognition for transparency in the Belleville Diocese is significant, particularly considering its reputation in the early 1990s, when victims, advocates, journalists and others complained that it had kept clergy sexual abuse hidden from the public.
Teri Maddox, Belleville News-Democrat
“What a difference 30 years makes.
“The watchdog organization Voice of the Faithful recently ranked the Catholic Diocese of Belleville the seventh most ‘financially transparent’ diocese in the United States.
The lay organization’s 2022 report states that, while financial transparency wouldn’t have prevented clergy sexual abuse in the past, it would have kept the Catholic Church from secretly paying cash settlements to families of child victims in exchange for their silence.
“‘The horror of clergy sexual abuse … would have been reported, not covered up, and abusers would have been called to account for their crimes,’ the report stated. ‘Victims of serial abusers would have been protected.’
“Recognition for transparency in the Belleville Diocese is significant, particularly considering its reputation in the early 1990s, when victims, advocates, journalists and others complained that it had kept clergy sexual abuse hidden from the public for decades.
“The Belleville News-Democrat published its first story on the issue in February 1993. By 2002, the diocese, which covers 28 counties in southern Illinois, had removed 15 priests and one deacon from ministry.”
By Teri Maddox, Belleville News-Democrat — Read more …
Hierarchy’s sacramental betrayal in abuse scandal obstructs synodality / National Catholic Reporter
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Catholic Bishops, church reform, Clergy Sexual Abuse, Future of the Church, Synod on Synodality, Voice of the Faithful on January 17, 2023
Members of the hierarchy appear not to realize the depth to which the effects of the scandal have seeped into every level of the institution. If they did, they would be acting far differently.
Tom Roberts, National Catholic Reporter
“It was in late spring, 1985, when I received a call from NCR’s then-editor Tom Fox. I think he said he hoped I was sitting down.
“Fox and I often exchanged calls when we thought that one of our publications had something of interest for the other. At the time, I was news editor of what was then called Religious News Service, headquartered on a floor in the former Jesuit residence at 56th Street and Sixth Avenue in New York.
“I was sitting at my desk when he told me that NCR’s next edition would contain an extensive and rather explosive report detailing the abuse of children by Catholic priests and the failure of hierarchy to do anything about it.
“That conversation was a jarring introduction to corruption and evil that continue to reverberate to this day. That first national story to be published about the scandal was extensive, detailed, and the accompanying editors’ commentary saw far into the future.
“What I eventually came to understand about the scandal affected not only my career (I landed at NCR in 1994) and how I would spend my time in the world of religion reporting. It would also ultimately place in question much of what I knew and understood about the church.”
What transpired regarding the scandal in the more than 35 years since that phone conversation continues to be the dominant lens through which I view developments in the church, including the synodal process underway. I agree with theologian Massimo Faggioli and Jesuit Fr. Hans Zollner, who wrote recently in this space: “‘It must be understood that the chances of the synodal process that will soon begin its continental phase are closely tied to what the Catholic Church is doing and not doing on the abuse crisis. It’s about the abuse crisis even when it’s not explicitly about the abuse crisis.'”
By Tom Robert, National Catholic Reporter — Read more …
Vatican’s handling of Jesuit priest shows new dimensions of never-ending abuse crisis
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Clergy Sexual Abuse, Voice of the Faithful on December 21, 2022
I think the Rupnik case actually recapitulates and casts a light on new dimensions that have emerged in the abuse scandal in recent years.
Massimo Faggioli, National Catholic Reporter
“On Dec. 2, the global Jesuit order confirmed reports made in several conservative Italian Catholic blogs that Slovenian Jesuit Fr. Marko Rupnik, a famous Rome-based artist, had been quietly disciplined for allegedly abusing adult women, and had been barred from hearing confessions or offering spiritual direction.
“On Dec. 14, Fr. Arturo Sosa, the Jesuit superior general, revealed more information. Rupnik, known in places across the world for his iconography and for mosaics in several renowned churches and cathedrals, had earlier been convicted by the Vatican’s doctrinal office of having used the confessional to absolve a woman of having engaged in sexual activity with him.
“That is one of the most serious crimes in canon law, and incurs an automatic excommunication. Sosa said Rupnik repented, and indicated that the excommunication had thus been lifted.
“Recapping the details of the case, some may feel the usual ‘here we go again’ with regard to sexual abuse and its cover-up in the Catholic Church. But I think the Rupnik case actually recapitulates and casts a light on new dimensions that have emerged in the abuse scandal in recent years. I want to briefly highlight 10 dimensions that I see.”
By Massimo Faggioli, National Catholic Reporter — Read more …
Jesuit case underscores secrecy, leniency for abuse of women
Posted by Voice of the Faithful in Clergy Sexual Abuse, Vatican, Voice of the Faithful on December 15, 2022
(Rev. Marko Ivan) Rupnik is unknown to most Catholics but is a giant within the Jesuit order and the Catholic hierarchy because he is one of the church’s most sought after artists … When the 2021 case (unspecified problems in the exercise of his ministry) became this month, fellow Jesuits called for the Vatican to shed more light on why Rupnik wasn’t sanctioned by the Holy See after he was accused.
By Nicole Winfield, Associated Press
“Revelations that the Vatican let a famous priest off the hook twice for abusing his authority over adult women has exposed two main weaknesses in the Holy See’s abuse policies: sexual and spiritual misconduct against adult women is rarely if ever punished, and secrecy still reigns supreme, especially when powerful priests are involved.
“The Jesuit order, to which Pope Francis belongs, was forced to admit Wednesday (Dec. 14) that its initial statements about the Rev. Marko Ivan Rupnik, an internationally recognized religious artist, were less than complete. The order had said Rupnik was accused in 2021 of unspecified problems ‘in the way he exercised his ministry’ but that the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith determined the allegations were too old to prosecute.
“But under questioning by journalists, the Jesuit superior general, the Rev. Arturo Sosa, acknowledged the Congregation had prosecuted Rupnik for a separate, prior case from 2019 that ended with his conviction and temporary excommunication for one of the gravest crimes in the church’s in-house canon law: that he used the confessional to absolve a woman with whom he previously had sexual relations.”
By Nicole Winfield, Associated Press — Read more …
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