On December 13, 2007, the National Review Board for the Protection of Children and Young People issued a report:
To the Catholic Faithful of the United States:
On the fifth anniversary of its establishment, the National Review Board for the Protection of Children and Young People (NRB) sends this report on its work to the Catholic community. It is a record of accomplishments, unfinished work, and challenges that lie ahead.
The members of the Board, representing the diversity of the Church in the United States, have worked diligently with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) through its Committee for the Protection of Children and Young People (CPCYP) to address the nature, causes, and consequences of the sexual abuse crisis and the prevention of such action in the future.
The Board concentrates on the responsibilities assigned to it in the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People (Charter). They include:
• advising on the audits of the dioceses and eparchies to assure compliance with the Charter adopted in Dallas,
• overseeing the Office of Child and Youth Protection (OCYP),
• completing major research studies,
• reviewing policies and practices for the protection of children and youth,
• recommending ways to provide safer environments.
Though much has been accomplished, much remains to be done...
(The full report can be found here and more information here.)
From the report:
ReplyDelete“Those audits provide substantial evidence of the bishops’ efforts to protect children and respond to the abuses of the past and present. As of 2006, 98% of the dioceses and eparchies are participating in the audits. Those audited are in full compliance with the standards.”
“In addition dioceses have established procedures to respond promptly to allegations, including reports of allegations to public authorities, diocesan review boards to evaluate allegations, and programs to reach out to victims and their families.”
The facts:
Two years after the implementation of the Charter, 2% of the diocese and eparchies have still chosen not to participate??? Whatever happened to obedience? These audits are really just self-reporting to see if policies are in place. There is no testing to verify that the policies are effective, or being followed. A policy, alone, does not protect a child. Action consistent with good policies does protect a child. I’m sure that Cardinal Francis George’s diocese passed the audit with flying colors. However, his inaction and decision not to follow the policies and procedures, not to follow the recommendations of his Review Board, and to delay reporting the allegations to the police, allowed the abuse of two children, AFTER he knew about about the allegation of the abusive priest. Despite his lack of leadership, Cardinal George was elected by his fellow bishops as the President of the USCCB. That fact alone should tell you all you need to know about the progress that has been made.
From the report:
“Over 1.6 million background investigations have taken place.”
The facts:
This sounds very impressive. However, since very, very, very few of the accused abusers over the past 50 years were ever reported to police, a background check on them would be 100% clean. A clean background check doesn’t mean there are no allegations. It only means there are no records in the criminal justice system.
From the report:
“For the second research project, the Causes and Context Study, John Jay College is once again the principal investigator. Fordham University is collaborating in the research. The USCCB selected the College based on its excellent proposal, expertise in the area, and knowledgeable background, including the completion of the Nature and Scope Study. The research will explore the historical context of the abuse, the seminary training during the historical period, the psychological profiles of the offenders, the responses of the Church, and the nature and consequences of victimization.
Fund raising is underway to meet the cost of the $2.6 million study.”
The facts:
The USCCB initially dragged their feet, debated cancelling the second study, and hesitated funding it. As you can see, “fund raising is underway.” This reminds me of Bishop McCormick in New Hampshire. He agreed with the Attorney General to have an audit done to keep himself out of jail. Then he argued about who would fund it. When the audit did finally occur, the AG staff was not pleased with their level of cooperation with the auditors.
Please read the entire report, especially the section “Challenges that Lie Ahead”. All Catholics must remain vigilant to make sure this work gets done at the diocesan and parish level. The crisis is NOT history, as Bishop Wilton Gregory said over a year ago.