Bishops' meeting assessed

The bishops grappled with abortion, war, poverty, child abuse and domestic violence, but Bishop Hubbard picked a topic ignored by most news coverage as the one he considered "very significant."

He was referring to "Strangers No Longer: Together on the Journey of Hope," a document released jointly by the U.S. and Mexican conferences of bishops. It defines a partnership to address the pastoral and social concerns of migrants.

Collaboration

The statement says: "We speak as one Church, united in the view that migration between our two nations is necessary and beneficial. At the same time, some aspects of the migrant experience are far from the vision of the kingdom of God that Jesus proclaimed. Human rights are abused; families are kept apart; and racist and xenophobic attitudes remain."

The joint effort, Bishop Hubbard said, "bodes well for collaboration among bishops. I hope it becomes a model for what we could do more frequently as we address common concerns in the Americas and globalization."

A related statement from the U.S. bishops, "Encuentro and Mission: A Renewed Framework for Hispanic Ministry," was "much needed," said the Bishop, because it updates a previous document in light of the increasing numbers of Hispanics in the U.S.

War and violence

"The statement emphasizes that every effort must be made diplomatically to resolve the situation," he explained. "Given the information available publicly now, it is hard to make the assessment that a war would be morally just."

The bishops also updated their ten-year-old statement on domestic violence, which Bishop Hubbard termed "one of the most effective pastoral statements we have ever issued. It gave women in that situation permission to address their problem with pastors or other professionals. I hope this new statement supports women in this tragic situation."

Abuse

The changes "do not undermine the fundamental goals of the Charter: protecting children, offering healing to victims and removing abusive priests from ministry," Bishop Hubbard said.

The changes "clarified the process that dioceses should follow if a priest is accused, in order to determine the truth of what happened and the consequences if he admits his guilt or if the accusation is judged to be true."

Complicated process

The Charter revisions include the establishment of Church tribunals to weigh the accusations. The Vatican, applying canon law, pointed out that priests could not be removed from ministry permanently without due process in the Church's courts.

The Bishop observed that accused priests "will already be on administrative leave, so the community is protected" while the judicial process is followed.

To ensure that a priest would not be judged by his peers in a Diocese, Bishop Hubbard foresees regional or national tribunals being established. That will also allow for judges who are trained specifically in dealing with abuse cases.

Secrecy

"Marriage tribunals are not open either," the Bishop explained, "but the results will be made public. There is a transparency to it."

He also noted that "when an accusation is received by the Diocese, an investigation proceeds to judge its credibility. Once that is established, the priest is placed on administrative leave and the name is made public."

Furthermore, said the Bishop, any case that falls within the statute of limitations will be referred to the district attorney for civil proceedings, which are likely to be public.

The process of adopting the new provisions will take time, Bishop Hubbard added; meanwhile, the Diocese's current policy on clergy sex abuse remains in effect.

(11-21-02) [[In-content Ad]]