VOICE OF THE FAITHFUL CALLS ON BISHOPS TO USE THEIR FULL DISCRETIONARY
AUTHORITY TO FULLY IMPLEMENT THE PASTORAL INTENT OF THE DALLAS
CHARTER
Group Calls on U.S. Catholics to Hold Bishops Publicly Accountable
Washington, DC - November 13, 2002 - Voice
of the Faithful (VOTF), a group of over 25,000 mainstream lay
Catholics formed in response to the Catholic Church’s clergy sexual
abuse scandal, today acknowledged the attention and consideration
U.S. bishops have directed toward a comprehensive child and youth
protection policy. However, the group believes that the policies
are pastorally flawed and it anticipates a problematic implementation
and enforcement process.
“VOTF supports the bishops in honoring their moral
commitment made in Dallas, TX and urges their firm commitment
to bridge the gap between the pastoral intent of the Charter and
the diminished administrative and judicial guidelines of the Norms.
We also recognize there are serious practical limitations in implementing
the Revised Norms. Ultimately, we call on bishops to implement
procedures to guarantee the safety of children from clergy sexual
abuse. And we call on all U.S. Catholics to hold their bishops
publicly accountable for the swift prosecution of sexual offenders,
the immediate implementation of safe parish policies, and outreach
to and justice for every victim/survivor of clergy sexual abuse,”
said Steve Krueger, interim executive director, Voice of the Faithful.
“In addition, clergy who are accused of abuse must be treated
fairly and in accordance with the newly adopted procedures. We
strongly believe that injustice to any survivor - or any priest
- is an injustice to all of us.”
Bishops Need to Exercise Discretionary Authority
Each bishop retains the discretionary authority to make a broad
range of administrative decisions within his diocese. In light
of today’s decision by the USCCB to approve the Revised Norms,
VOTF calls on all U.S. bishops to use their discretionary authority
to vigorously implement policies and procedures that exceed the
approved Norms and honor the intent of the Charter. These procedures
may include but are not limited to:
-
Reporting every credible allegation of child sexual abuse
directly to the civil authorities - within all U.S. states;
-
Openness and transparency of all sexual abuse policies,
procedures and cases by each diocese, including Review Board
appointments;
-
The use of lay review boards to assess credible allegations
of clergy sexual abuse;
-
The appointment of survivors to lay review boards;
-
The assignment of priests under investigation to non-pastoral
environments;
-
The development of a national registry of clergy sexual
abuse offenders to be maintained by the USCCB National Office
for the Protection of Children;
-
The elimination of confidentiality agreements; and,
-
Lifetime care to victims/survivors sexually abused by
a priest.
Implementation Problems Still Remain
A central issue is the use of tribunals to determine the credibility
of sexual abuse allegations. Currently, the Catholic Church’s
tribunals are primarily set up for non-criminal activities such
as marriage annulments. In order for the U.S. bishops to effectively
administer a fair and due process for accused clerics, they will
have to overhaul the current system in order to handle the backlog
of 500-plus allegations. This restructuring will prove to be an
extensive and time-consuming process, during which the accused
cleric will be kept in a state of limbo for an extended period
of time. VOTF calls on U.S. bishops to develop and publish a specific
plan for dealing with this problem.
VOTF believes the U.S. bishops are taking a step
in the right direction in acknowledging their need to address
accountability among the hierarchy. However, we have serious concerns
that the mechanism they are relying on - mutual accountability
among themselves - is insufficient since bishops are not empowered
in this manner. It is our belief to the extent the hierarchy was
unable to prevent the clergy sexual abuse scandal, they will suffer
from the same limitations - and face further loss of public trust
- in holding themselves accountable. A substantive process of
episcopal accountability must include peer evaluation by bishops,
substantial lay involvement, effective communication processes
with Vatican officials, and an overreaching commitment to ending
all policies that facilitate clergy sexual abuse.
We are extremely disappointed that the 10-year statute
of limitations remains, and that the letter of canon law has been
used to create a cumbersome procedure that takes precedence over
the spiritual and pastoral needs of the survivors. We call on
U.S. bishops to request a general waiver of this statute in all
cases of clergy sexual abuse.
Voice of the Faithful - Next Steps
Moving forward, there is still a great deal to accomplish on behalf
of concerned Catholics who seek to build up our Church and support
survivors. VOTF remains devoted to:
-
Strengthening our voice by growing our membership from
today’s 90-plus Parish Voice affiliates located across the
U.S.;
-
Illustrating publicly the illogical, self-defeating, and
unjust nature of barring devoted Catholics from using Church
property to host meetings for hope, healing, and education
in our faith;
-
Actively calling for the elimination of these unjust and
hurtful bannings;
-
Providing listening sessions where laity may bear witness
to the stories of clergy sexual abuse from survivors in
a safe environment to support care and healing;
-
Educating Catholics about our rights and responsibilities
and the ways we may actively participate in the Church as
envisioned by the spirit of Vatican II; and,
-
Holding the U.S. bishops publicly accountable for compliance
above and beyond the adopted Norms and the Charter for the
Protection of Children and Young People by meeting the pastoral
needs of survivors as determined by them.
It has always been, and will continue to be, our
intention to work within, and to safeguard, the unity of the Church,
respecting its structures and cooperating with the bishops. Now
that a milestone has been passed, we wish to contribute positively
through ongoing dialogue and insistence that the Church is all
the people of God - pope, bishops, clergy, religious and lay -
working together for our common good, for justice, reconciliation,
healing, and a stronger Church.
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