Column
by
Archbishop John G. Vlazny
|
Archbishop's
Column by Archbishop John G. Vlazny |
We make our churches, schools as child-safe
as possible
5/10/02
Wherever I travel in the archdiocese this
spring, concerns about
allegations of child abuse by archdiocesan
clergy eventually surface in
the conversation. Some folks approach
me directly about the subject.
Others talk about it in the “parking lot,”
and I learn about their worries
indirectly through hearsay.
Two major issues relating to this matter
that I have not discussed in this
column are the financial impact upon the
archdiocese and the experience of
claims against our Catholic community
here in western Oregon. Time and
again I hear complaints about the “silence
and secrecy” of church leaders
as they deal with these matters. I certainly
want to do my best with
respect to the necessary boundaries of
appropriate confidentiality, but I
do not want to be secretive, particularly
when, like yourselves, I learn
about most of these matters first-hand
through the secular media. Good
reporters clearly have channels of information
that I do not.
Time and again, people tell me they do
not want their donations used to
settle these claims. Certainly I resonate
with that desire. When I make my
contributions to the church I want them
to be used to advance the mission
of Jesus Christ. So do you. But those
are the funds that plaintiffs and
their attorneys are presently seeking
in order to receive compensation for
the suffering of victims and to punish
the church in a way that they feel
is well deserved.
Some folks are so angry that they write
to tell me that they will never
contribute to any cause that is a ministry
or service of the archdiocese.
In this year’s Campaign for Catholic Charities,
the leadership was clearly
making an effort to distance itself from
the archdiocese lest you not
support their important outreach to the
poor and needy. I found that
hurtful and disloyal, but I do understand.
Other institutions of the
church are also reevaluating the way they
approach you for financial
support.
Presently the archdiocese has been able
to settle almost all claims
through the Archdiocesan Insurance Fund.
But you and I are the ones who
contribute to that fund through parish
assessments. There is no
archdiocese apart from the parishes and
institutions. They are the means
by which we offer people pastoral care
and carry on our sacramental,
teaching and service ministry. If and
when the insurance fund is depleted,
payments of claims must be made through
other funds of the archdiocese.
Certainly victims need to be assisted
and compensated for their suffering.
How extensively should the Catholic Church
of western Oregon be punished?
This is the neuralgic issue that those
of us in leadership, together with
the assistance of legal counsel and the
courts, must eventually determine.
We may be a leaner church, but we certainly
do not want to be a meaner
one. Please pray that justice will be
served in all these matters.
With respect to the pending claims before
the Archdiocese of Portland, at
the end of April there were 35, most of
which were filed in lawsuits. Of
these claims, 21 involve Father Maurice
Grammond. As you already know, 25
similar claims were settled in late 2000.
The services of two judicial
mediators were used then. By mutual agreement,
the amount paid to each
plaintiff was confidential.
There are 14 other claims involving various
priests, members of religious
communities, visitors to the archdiocese
and a few of our own archdiocesan
clergy. All of these claims deal with
things that reportedly happened 20
to 55 years ago. Almost all the priests
accused are dead.
Each claimant is seeking between $2 million
and $10 million, plus punitive
damages from the archdiocese. Almost all
these plaintiffs request secrecy
for themselves. As you may have noticed,
they bring their claims by
initials only. Our Oregon legal system
is challenged in dealing with these
lawsuits. As you can well imagine, it
is difficult to get to the truth of
what may or may not have occurred 30,
40 or 50 years ago. When the accused
and the witnesses are dead, records that
may shed light on this situation
do not exist and the only version of events
is the plaintiffs’, great care
and caution must prevail in attempting
to resolve such allegations. The
archdiocese has settled 32 claims between
October 2000 and April 2002.
They include the Grammond claims. All
were settled through mediation.
For a number of years, we have reached
out to assist in the healing of
those who come to us to report child abuse
by clergy or other archdiocesan
personnel. We offer counseling and whatever
pastoral assistance may be
helpful. In the present climate, people
who might have come to us go
directly to attorneys. Even when we have
offered pastoral or other
assistance to plaintiffs in litigation,
this offer has been refused.
In conclusion, I want to remind you that
we do not tolerate child abuse of
any kind by archdiocesan personnel. The
archdiocese complies with Oregon’s
child abuse reporting law. We have reported
clergy and lay personnel when
required to do so. Our school employees
and others are aware of their
reporting responsibilities.
If I receive information that leads me
to believe that anyone — clergy or
lay, employee or volunteer — serving on
behalf of the archdiocese poses a
threat of harm to children, I take prompt
action. Once the situation is
reviewed, if necessary, I put an individual
on administrative leave and/or
report the matter to authorities. The
Child Abuse Policy issued in
February of this year includes all that
we had been doing and expands our
efforts to protect children. You can be
assured that we are making
archdiocesan churches and schools as child-safe
as possible. You are right
to expect nothing less.