Guest guest Posted February 11, 2002 Report Share Posted February 11, 2002 > Churches pay dearly for silence on abuse > Criticism grows in pedophile cases > > By Julia Lieblich > Tribune religion reporter > Published February 11, 2002 > > Despite two decades of warnings that when churches allow pedophiles to > remain in their ranks they risk not only grave damage to children but also > huge financial liability, many groups still appear more concerned with > protecting clergy than stopping the abuse, critics say. > > Religious organizations as diverse as the Roman Catholic Church and the > Hare Krishnas are entangled in costly litigation charging clergy with > sexually abusing children. > > And although the problem is not new, many groups continue to foster a > climate of secrecy and carry out policies detrimental to victims, said > David Clohessy, head of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. > > Rather than investigate cases openly, which would encourage more victims > to come forward, experts say, most religious groups quietly pay cash > settlements. Even the Roman Catholic Diocese of Belleville, Ill., heralded > as a rare model of how to handle abuse cases, has asked victims to agree > not to disclose details as a condition of compensation. > > Clohessy said that in 10 years he has found no religious group that > punishes clergy who fail to turn in pedophiles. And too few organizations > insist that suspected abuse be reported the police unless required by law. > > Even the review boards are often staffed by inexperienced people who lack > the tools to evaluate claims or by clergy reluctant to remove colleagues, > said Rev. Patricia Liberty, executive director of Associates in Education > and Prevention in Pastoral Practice in North Kingstown, R.I. > > Guardian found guilty > > The Hare Krishnas formed a child protection office only to discover that > the director had committed child abuse, said the office's director, Dhira > Govinda, of Alachua, Fla. > > Recent events have only highlighted the extent of the problem. > > On Sunday, Cardinal Bernard Law of Boston vowed he would not step down > despite increasing pressure over a sexual abuse scandal involving priests > who had worked in the archdiocese > > In late January, the archdiocese of Boston released documents showing that > the church had transferred from parish to parish a priest repeatedly > accused of child abuse. Last week the archdiocese submitted to prosecutors > the names of 22 priests, bringing the total number of accused priests to > at least 60. > > Law has apologized to abuse victims and announced a policy of "zero > tolerance" for sexual abuse. Also in January, the diocese of Tucson > settled a suit brought by 16 plaintiffs who said they were molested by > priests--and that the diocese did nothing to stop it. > > The Hare Krishnas announced plans last week to declare bankruptcy to > protect their assets from a $400 million damage suit charging that the > group leadership knew about the abuse of hundreds of Hare Krishna children > in the 1970s and '80s. The leaders deny the charges. > > Roman Catholic officials defend church policy, arguing that great strides > have been made in addressing a problem that is widespread in society. > > Progress seen by some > > "In the past 10 to 15 years, there has been major improvement in terms of > both screening people who enter seminaries and the response when there are > allegations something has occurred," said William Ryan, a spokesman for > the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. But observers like Liberty think > much more work is needed. "On a scale of 1 to 10, things have changed to a > 2," she said. Liberty acknowledges that some individual congregations have > instituted effective programs of prevention and disclosure, "but there is > not one denomination universally doing a good job," she said. > > In 1985 Rev. Tom Doyle, a canon lawyer then at the Vatican embassy in > Washington, co-wrote a confidential report warning U.S. bishops that if > they didn't weed out pedophiles they could lose an estimated $1 billion in > 10 years. "We couldn't even get them to consider the report," said Doyle, > now a chaplain at Ramstein Air Base in Germany. > > In 1992 Ray Sinibaldi, a teacher of at-risk youth who was abused by a > Roman Catholic priest in Weymouth, Mass., met with Law. When the cardinal > sought his advice on a new child abuse policy, Sinibaldi said he urged the > Boston archdiocese to require priests to report suspects to the police. > > Not until January 2002 did Law institute such a policy after mounting > public pressure. > > Lawsuits a last resort > > James Poling, a pastoral theology professor at Garrett Evangelical > Theological Seminary in Evanston, said clerics often perceive critics--and > potential lawsuits--as a threat to institutional survival. The irony, he > said, is that abuse victims rarely think of suing when they initially > inform religious leaders of their experiences. > > Clohessy agreed: "Litigation only happens as a last resort when survivors > feel nothing else will get their perpetrators removed from ministry." Last > month it was disclosed that new Vatican rules specified that > ecclesiastical courts will handle abuse allegations in secret, though the > policy does not rule out legal proceedings. And religious groups continue > to keep settlements under wraps, said A.W. Richard Sipe, a psychotherapist > and former priest who counsels victims. > > "I've been in on cases where I've gone to the bishop's office with the > victims," said Sipe. "The bishop says, `I believe your story is logical. > How much do you want to settle?' Literally in an hour a man can get a > quarter of a million dollars' settlement." > > Defenders of such action say it protects the victim's privacy and the > integrity of proceedings. But Liberty believes handling allegations this > way does not encourage other victims to come forward. "There is a > difference between confidentiality and secrecy," she said. "In 100 percent > of the cases there is some kind of gag order attached to the settlement. > Requiring silence is another form of abuse." > > Victim advocates say such policies should provide concrete mechanisms for > reporting and reviewing cases as well as compensating victims. They also > want educational programs for clergy and laity. Clohessy's group has > honored Belleville Bishop Wilton Gregory, president of the U.S. Conference > of Catholic Bishops, for quickly removing priests accused of sexual > misconduct, for openly stating the reasons and providing therapy for most > survivors and accused priests. > > The archdiocese of Chicago also has a "state-of-the-art policy" that > requires abuse allegations to be reported to the authorities, said > Indiana-Purdue University sociologist Anson Shupe, who studies religion > and criminology. > > Punishment for silence > > Still, all religious groups should add procedures for disciplining clergy > who remain silent when someone is suspected of harming children, Clohessy > said. > > "If a cleric suspects one of his colleagues of abusing and does not turn > him in, that cleric should be hung out to dry," said Clohessy, whose group > is based in St. Louis. "Men who prey on children are like mad dogs. They > have a compulsive sickness." > > Many religious organizations have yet to adopt abuse policies of any kind. > Shupe said that although some of the major Protestant groups have > "self-policing measures," a 1998 survey he conducted of all U.S. > Protestant groups indicated the vast majority do not. > > "Most groups said, `We don't have a problem so we don't have a policy,'" > he said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.