Diocesan sex abuse policy working

That news comes from a letter written last week by Bishop Howard J. Hubbard to diocesan priests, and from interviews with him and with Rev. Kenneth J. Doyle, chancellor for public information for the Diocese.

In the wake of widespread reports of sexual abuse of children by clergy in the Boston Archdiocese and elsewhere, Bishop Hubbard wrote to the priests to update them on the situation in the Diocese. He was also prompted to do so in anticipation of an article on the subject that appeared in the Albany Times Union on Feb. 24. His letter was dated Feb. 19, the day the Times Union conducted an interview with Father Doyle.

Nine cases

* Over the past 25 years, nine diocesan priests (two percent) out of the 450 who served during that period have been involved in sexual abuse of minors;

* In each case, the Diocese informed the victims or their representatives of their right to contact civil and criminal authorities. In most cases, the families have chosen not to make the matter public, out of a desire for family privacy or because the incident had occurred 20 or more years earlier. But several families have, in fact, brought cases to authorities in various counties, and in those cases the Diocese has cooperated fully with the criminal and civil investigation;

* The majority of the nine priests have been dismissed from ministry; the few who remain (the Diocese declined to specify a number, though it is clearly four or fewer) have been placed in "restricted ministry, under close supervision," but only after undergoing "an extended residential period of treatment and being evaluated by therapists independent from the Diocese [who] deemed [the priests] fit to return to ministry," the Bishop explained. "So it is only by way of exception that a priest is allowed to continue to function."

Experts in the field, he noted, such as Dr. Frederick Berlin, the head of the sexual disorders clinic at Johns Hopkins Hospital, allow for such exceptions, provided that the priests are closely monitored and not given unsupervised access to minors. (A lengthy interview with Dr. Berlin can be found at www.usccb.org.)

Safeguards

The Bishop said that the diocesan policy on sexual abuse, which has been in place since 1993, is adhered to carefully.

"If anyone feels he or she has a case, present or past, which should be investigated," he added, "we invite them to contact the Diocese. We take every case seriously and investigate it thoroughly. We offer counseling to everyone who make an allegation, regardless of whether there's a finding of culpability. Our policies and practice are -- and must be --victim-oriented."

Policy

The policy calls for:

* the offer of "professional and qualified services" to victims and their families;

* psychological assessment of the priest and investigation of the charges;

* administrative leave for the priest depending on the circumstances;

* removal from office and priestly duties if the allegations are proven true; and

* cooperation with the judicial process if the matter becomes a civil or criminal court action.

The policy is overseen by a five-member panel made up of two priests and three laypeople. The laity include a psychiatric social worker, a psychiatrist and a lawyer, two of whom are women with children of their own (a list of the panel members appears in the policy statement).

(02-28-02) [[In-content Ad]]