Archbishop's  Column  by  Archbishop John G. Vlazny

John Jay Study will help bring protection, reconciliation
2/27/04

By the end of this month, the general
public will have a greater awareness of the
nature and scope of the problem of
sexual abuse of minors by clergy in the Catholic
Church in the United States.

This is being made possible by the release
of the John Jay Study commissioned by
the National Review Board, which was
established by the American bishops nearly
two years ago. They have been important
partners in our sincere desire to be
reconciled with the victims of this crime
and to do a better job of protecting our
children and young people in the future.

The John Jay Study is a quantitative analysis
of the sexual abuse of minors by Catholic
clergy from 1950 to 2002.A separate National
Review Board report will also be issued, based
on interviews with about 60 individuals, including
bishops. As I write, I do not have access to the
information contained in those reports. In fact,
none of us bishops will be given that information
until the day before the release to the general public.

Undoubtedly the information will be problematic
at best, scandalous at worst. Here in Oregon we
have been living with the names and numbers of
perpetrators and victims for some time now. Because
of extensive litigation in our state, much of the information
concerning our own dioceses has been available to
the general public through the secular media.

In early January you learned about the
results of the audit that took place here in Portland
and in dioceses across the United States. It was a
self-study to learn how the various local churches
are complying with the charter the American bishops
established to deal with the present problems and to
protect children in the future. The studies, which
are scheduled to be released at the end of the month,
along with the audits, were undertaken precisely
 because the bishops requested them. I know of
no other group that has undertaken such a
challenging and demeaning task related to this problem.
We bishops simply cannot change history, but we
definitely want to makesure that it is not repeated by
finally determining the nature and scope of the problem.
The information will help us determine whether the
steps we have taken are adequate.

The actual statistics here in the  Archdiocese of
Portland are devastating. But we do not have to
deal in large numbers in order to be concerned. One
perpetrator and one victim are both one too many.

As you know, most of these cases were
unknown until the last decade. Even in the early
weeks of this new year, some unreported cases
were still brought forward. But I do not know of any
situation where any bishop ever consciously
intended to put a child in harm's way. Like yourselves,
I regret situations in which an action that was
thought to be effective in stopping such
abuse turned out not to be so.

 As we continue to struggle with the fall-out
of these acts of abuse, we all need to keep in
mind what our local churchhas done to respond
to what we have learned. Let me spell out just
a few of the steps we have taken here in the
archdiocese.

Cathy Shannon has been appointed as our
Victim Assistance Coordinator. She can be
contacted at the Archdiocesan Pastoral Center in
Portland, (503) 234-5334.

It has been my privilege to meet with many of
the victims and members of their families. I
repeat my invitation to those who have been
so harmed to come forward and to share their
feelings with me or one of my delegates in
private. It is my hope that this will be a
helpful step on the road to healing and reconciliation.

This archdiocese is willing to help all victims.
Most have come to us through legal claims,
but others have been assisted by sharing their
stories on their own. The choice will be the victim's.
The goal in both situations must be healing and
reconciliation.

Our eight-member review board  continues to
meet on a regular basis. It reviews cases
brought forward and recommends an appropriate
response on the part of the archdiocese both for
the accused and the accuser.

Safe-environment programs have been
developed and presented across the archdiocese for
all those involved in pastoral ministry. The most recent
session took place in Seaside on Feb. 5.

Our Department of Human Resources does regular
background screening for all church personnel.

The written sexual abuse policy of the
archdiocese is in place and available on the
archdiocesan website.

You know as well as I that the abuse of any
child is so contrary to the will of Christ, and
therefore it is devastating to learn that such
a crime would happen within our church
community. The effort to deal with this problem
adequately has been going on for some time. The
very principles of dealing with sexual abuse
allegations were set forth in 1992, and efforts
were made to restore trust back in 1993.
Throughout my entire life as a diocesan
bishop, more than 16 years, much time and
energy have been devoted to dealing with this matter.

It is good for us to remember at this difficult
moment that, while still trying to work with care
and compassion in resolving the problem of
sexual abuse of minors, we as a church have
also continued our efforts to reach out to
others who find themselves in difficult life
situations. Here I am thinking of the homeless,
hungry, immigrants, prisoners, unwed mothers,
the sick, and all the elderly, both those who are
ill and those who are healthy. In no way do I
see our church's commitment to the
compassionate care of those in need in any way
diminished.

Lent has begun, a time for renewal and
reconciliation, a time for prayer and penance, a time
for grace and charity. As we walk through Lent together,
we keep uppermost in our hearts the needs of
those who have been abused or hurt in any way
through this terrible scandal. It is the risen Jesus,
the victor over all suffering and death itself, who
restoresall hope. May your Lenten journey lead
you once again into his gracious, loving and healing
embrace.
 

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