Committed to protection of children and young people

Given the continuing questions about sexual abuse of minors by members of the Church and issues which arose before and during the November meeting in Baltimore of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, we sat down with Bishop Robert J. McManus, Bishop of Worcester, to ask what is happening in the Diocese of Worcester. His responses are endorsed by the Diocesan Review Committee, members’ names are listed at the end of this interview.

Are you doing all you can to keep kids safe in Catholic churches, schools and other environments?
   The simple answer is “Yes.” Back in 2002, the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, adopted for all the Catholic dioceses of the United States, established policies for all of us to follow on the background screening of every lay and ordained employee and volunteer, training them to identify signs and symptoms of abuse. Also, we train children about their own safety in our Catholic schools and in religious education programs if such training is not available in their public schools. The charter also set up national, independent, annual audits to confirm that each diocese is complying with these policies and procedures. Even though every audit has found the diocese to be in compliance, the audit process helps us find areas of improvement.
  
What is the Diocese of Worcester doing and how well have we done it?
  We have processed tens of thousands of background checks in the past 16 years. All priests, deacons and lay people are screened every 5 years. Each school teacher is screened annually. Seminarians and school teachers are fingerprinted once for broader background screening. Every adult employee and volunteer has participated in training and we now encourage online refresher training with a program developed by the nationally renowned Dallas Child Advocacy Center. Catholic schools have curricula on safe environment and materials are recommended to parishes for use when their public schools are not offering it.
  National auditors have found us compliant each and every year and recognized our additional efforts beyond the Charter. Parishes cooperate with local audits conducted by independent members of the Diocesan Review Committee who are experts in the area of child abuse and law enforcement.
  No complaint concerning someone who is still a minor has been filed in nearly three decades. Most allegations that have been made since 2002 are from 30 to 50 years ago and some even older. Many victims will not report abuse until decades later,  but education about the issue in public and private sectors over the past 15 – 20 years makes this a VERY different environment compared to the 1960s and 1970s when the majority of abuse is reported to have occurred in our churches and schools.
   
Is the Catholic Church reporting complaints to civil authorities for investigation and possible prosecution?
  In 2002 every allegation going back to 1950 was sent to the District Attorney. Since that time we report every allegation that has come forward, usually within a few business days. That includes allegations that were made against deceased, active or retired priests or priests already removed from ministry.
   
Are bishops moving priests around when there is suspicion of abuse?
  Since 1990, in our diocese no priest was left in ministry when there was a credible and substantiated allegation of abuse involving a minor. Prior to that time, particularly in the 1970s and 1980s, there were men in treatment who were placed back in public ministry based on the recommendation of the psychologist at the time. That pastoral practice proved disastrous and ceased nearly 30 years ago.
  One case in the late 1990s involved placing a priest back in ministry due to a lack of corroborating  information. It is important to note that there was no secrecy involved in his assignment as his return to ministry was publicly covered in the media. When more information was brought forth to substantiate the allegation, he was removed and has since been laicized.
  The bottom line is that there is a process which is shared publicly in our policies and procedures: the victims’ assistance coordinator and often another member of the Diocesan Review Committee who is not employed by the Church typically receive a victim’s allegation. It is then reported to the district attorney’s office even while the allegation is being investigated further by the diocese to determine credibility – and even if the accused has since died. The Diocesan Review Committee, 50 percent or more of whose membership includes professionals from outside the employ of the diocese, also hears the allegation and receives progress reports on the investigation, recommends actions to be taken, whether it involves a member of the clergy or a lay person, and then receives updates on therapeutic assistance for victims.
Are Bishops being held accountable when allegations of abuse or of mishandling allegations of abuse are brought against them?
  This was the issue before the U. S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) meeting in the month of November. Locally we have been cooperating with the various conditions of the charter. Now the bishops are reviewing various proposals which will be taken into consideration at an international summit in Rome in February so that all bishops are held accountable.
   
What about victims from the past? How have we been responding to victims who come forward? Does the bishop meet with them personally?
  When I began as Bishop of Worcester in 2004, I offered to meet with any past victim in our diocese. I have offered to meet with every victim who has since come forward as well. Some accept the offer and others do not. Certainly this is one of the most caring, albeit painful, pastoral duties I have ever had to do, but it was important for each person to know first-hand how sorry I am for the harm they endured and to assure the victim that zero tolerance is being applied against anyone who has a credible and substantiated allegation made against members of the Church.
  Thanks to the assistance of our victims’ assistance coordinator and members of our Diocesan Review Committee, we have facilitated professional counseling and other services for many victims over the years who have sought the help. 
   
Why should people trust that, at least in the Diocese of Worcester, we are doing what we are asked to do?
   We are not just reacting – we are trying to understand systemically the presence of sexual abuse in our society and to help other organizations as well which are addressing the issue. Our annual audits even include whether we have provided data to outside groups. Specifically, we have contributed to the following: The John Jay School of Criminal Justice Study and Center for Applied Research (CARA) at Georgetown University. In addition, our audited input is part of the consolidated annual reports published by the USCCB. We have provided full cooperation with the district attorney’s office on every allegation since 2002. Finally, all allegations are presented to our independent Diocesan Review Board.
   
Are we doing enough? How can we invite people to participate through prayer, volunteering or other ways?
   The biggest danger is to become complacent and think that this crisis is over for the Catholic Church. Although policies are being effectively applied to assure safe environments to the best of our ability, the fact of the matter is that victims are still coming forward who endured some form of abuse decades ago and may be seeking healing, or at least acknowledgement of the harm that they endured. The best way we can commit to protecting children from ever having this happen to them is to assure that our procedures for safe environments are now part of parish life. Our review board members will continue to visit parishes and review their procedures and files, and we will continue to welcome the outside audits from the national office. We also seek to learn from the best practices of other dioceses in order to be effective in confronting sexual abuse here in the Diocese of Worcester.
   
Is this problem unique to the Catholic Church? Why the focus on the Catholic Church?
   This problem is certainly not unique to the Catholic Church or churches in general. Our moral responsibility, our trusted role, and our size (locally and globally) all contribute to the greater accountability of the Church. Although the problem isn’t unique to the Roman Catholic Church, we are unique as an institution.  Our effective response affects tens of millions of people globally, it impacts their trust and, most significantly, it can impact their faith.
  The hierarchical nature of the Catholic Church is also unique. No other institution’s leader can have the impact that the Holy Father and the various offices of the Holy See can make globally on this issue. This is why so much attention is being focused on the upcoming global summit in February 2019 and why many feel the policies in the United States, having proved their efficacy, can assist the global church in curbing this horrendous crime against children and young people.
   
Diocesan Review Committee:
Members from outside the employ of the Diocese of Worcester: 
Claire Freda, chairperson, Leominster City council member; Richard Hummel, PhD, psychologist, child sexual assault specialist, vice-chairperson; Maurice Boisvert, LICSW, CEO Emeritus, YOU Inc.; Heather C. Forkey, MD, director, Foster Children Evaluation Service (FaCES); Christina Stanley-Martinez, LMHC, trauma specialist; Marian McGovern, Massachusetts State Police, ret.; Michael Nockunas, Connecticut State Police, ret.; Father Dean N. Paleologos, cathedral dean, Saint Spyridon Greek Orthodox Cathedral, ret.; Katherine Perkins, LICSW, child sexual assault specialist; Honorable Edward J. Reynolds; Robert Stiles, Esq., attorney; Dr. Lynda M. Young, pediatrician.
Members in Diocesan employ:  
Judith Audette, LICSW, victim assistance coordinator and executive director, Pathways of Central Massachusetts; Rev. James J. Caldarella, ret.; Raymond L. Delisle, chancellor, diocesan director of communications; Rev. Dennis J. O’Brien, minister to priests; Msgr. F. Stephen Pedone, JCL, judicial vicar and vicar for canonical affairs (ex-officio); Rev. Richard F. Reidy, vicar general, moderator of the curia; Rev. Walter J. Riley, director of priest personnel and pastor; Msgr. Thomas J. Sullivan, pastor. 

Conversation with Bishop McManus on this topic is the featured program