Column
by
Archbishop John G. Vlazny
|
Archbishop's
Column by Archbishop John G. Vlazny |
Safe environment ensured
1/30/04
Earlier this month, when much of Portland
was buried in snow, on Jan. 6,
to be exact, a report was issued by the
Office of Child and Youth
Protection and the National Review Board
of the U.S. Conference of
Catholic Bishops on the implementation
of the “Charter for the Protection
of Children and Young People” to which
the bishops all subscribed back in
June of 2002. Both the charter and the
subsequent audit of the Church’s
adherence to the policies contained in
the charter were the result of the
bishops’ desire to be accountable to you
about our efforts to recover from
the scandal of child sexual abuse by clergy
and to assure the safety of
our youngsters in the future.
The audit was conducted by the Gavin Group
Inc. of Boston, Mass. Here in
the Archdiocese of Portland the audit
took place in mid-September. One
hundred ninety-one dioceses participated
in this four-month process. Three
dioceses still remain to be audited. Our
own archdiocese is in full
compliance with the charter. The auditors
called upon us to develop a
tracking system for the employees and
volunteers who completed our safe
environment training and also to develop
and implement an appropriate
program for religious education students
involving safe environment
training similar to the “Safe Touch” program
already in use in our
Catholic elementary schools. Both of these
recommendations have been
implemented and are now in place.
When the results of the audit were made
public, I issued a statement, only
a part of which was reported in the secular
media. I would like to share
the full statement with you now. “For
more than 15 years, the Archdiocese
of Portland has operated with clear policies
for the protection of our
children and for dealing with allegations
of child sexual abuse by
pastoral ministers and church employees.
The directives offered by the
bishops’ charter have strengthened our
policies and renewed our commitment
to this important task. There was never
a question about our decision to
be in full compliance with the charter.
I am grateful to all our pastoral
ministers and people who have shared my
resolve in taking this matter
seriously.”
Concurrently, this archdiocese has been
burdened with considerable
litigation about incidents of child sexual
abuse by clergy in the past. We
are doing our best to respond justly to
the demands of all victims. But we
are also equally concerned about our efforts
to promote true healing as
well as the safety and security of our
children and young people whenever
and wherever they are involved in church
activities or interacting with
church personnel.
The media reported the dissatisfaction
with many of the Church’s critics
about the report. These folks question
the sincerity of our efforts to be
faithful to the charter and our commitment
over the long haul to continue
to make efforts to eliminate incidents
of sexual abuse of minors by those
who minister, work or volunteer on behalf
of the Church.
Obviously, those who have lost trust in
the Church, particularly in church
leaders, will find it difficult to acknowledge
the sincerity and
authenticity of our efforts which, in
their judgment, are too little too
late. But we cannot redo the past. I also
recognize that some folks will
never again be able to trust me simply
because I am a bishop. Perhaps they
will have a difficult time accepting you
because you are Catholic. We do
our best, but rather than be overly concerned
about the perceptions and
judgments of others concerning our behavior,
we must be more committed
than ever to do what is right and just.
That will surely be the basis of
the judgment God will make concerning
our activities during these troubled
times.
We are indeed a wounded church. It is worth
pondering what these wounds
have taught us about ourselves, about
our own attitudes concerning
sexuality, about our integrity, and about
our willingness to face victims
and help them find hope and recovery.
Many Catholics, including me, were reluctant
to ask for forgiveness from
victims, because we claimed that we ourselves
were sinless in this matter.
We hadn’t done anything wrong. But how
can there be genuine reconciliation
unless someone is willing to take the
first step? As a bishop, I humbly
acknowledge that I found it difficult
at first to apologize to victims for
the abuse they had experienced. My pride
got in the way.
But it has been a tremendous grace to witness
the powerful effect a
genuine and heartfelt apology can have
upon someone who has suffered for
so long from child sexual abuse. I have
been utterly amazed that God would
choose me, not often enough, I’m afraid,
to bring healing and peace to
others, even though I might not have found
my partnership with God in His
outreach to be easy or comfortable.
Outsiders seem to delight in the discovery
that we are a sinful church.
Most of us always knew it. Left to our
own resources, we stumble again and
again. The humiliation of the present
scandal brings us to our knees and
helps us recognize how dependent we are
upon God and one another for help.
It is God who shares with us the grace
of healing for all victims, those
who were abused and those of us who suffer
now as a result of the
sinfulness and neglect of members of our
own church family.
Please be assured that the Archdiocese
of Portland continues to honor its
long-standing commitment to provide a
safe environment for all persons who
are served through the ministry of the
Church. I am confident that the
policies and procedures already in place,
with due diligence on the part
of all, will help ensure this safe environment.
I am grateful to all of
you who have cooperated with this important
endeavor to help us make
something right that has been much too
wrong for far too long.