Suggestions for Healing Oregon Survivors
ARTICLE 1. “Dioceses/eparchies will reach
out to victims/survivors and their families and demonstrate a sincere commitment
to their spiritual and emotional well-being. The first obligation of the Church
with regard to the victims is for healing and reconciliation. Where such
outreach is not already in place and operative, each diocese/eparchy is to
develop an outreach to every person who has been the victim of sexual abuse1
as a minor by anyone acting in the name of the Church, whether the abuse was
recent or occurred many years in the past. This outreach will include provision
of counseling, spiritual assistance, support groups, and other social services
agreed upon by the victim and the diocese/eparchy. In cooperation with social
service agencies and other churches, support groups for victims/survivors and
others affected by abuse should be fostered and encouraged in every
diocese/eparchy and in local parish communities.
Through pastoral outreach to victims and their families, the diocesan/eparchial
bishop or his representative will offer to meet with them, to listen with
patience and compassion to their experiences and concerns, and to share the
"profound sense of solidarity and concern" expressed by our Holy Father in his
Address to the Cardinals of the United States and Conference Officers. This
pastoral outreach by the bishop or his delegate will also be directed to faith
communities in which the sexual abuse occurred.”
SNAP REQUESTS RELATED TO ARTICLE 1:
· That the Archbishop attend regular meetings with SNAP in order to support the healing of survivors and give evidence of the archdiocese’s long-term commitment to survivors.
· That the archdiocese, in consultation with counseling professionals, develop a program to reach out to victims and abuse survivors throughout the archdiocese, including those who were abused in other dioceses.
· That the archdiocese publicly release all survivors from confidentiality agreements so that they may speak out about their abuse.
· That the archdiocese post to its own Web site the names of and allegations against credibly accused priests within the archdiocese—as a way of protecting the public and encouraging survivors to come forward.
· That the archdiocese post a link to SNAP on its Web site.
· That the Archbishop include a SNAP representative on the archdiocese’s Allegations Response Team.
· That the archdiocese make arrangements to cover the full costs of therapeutic counseling for all abuse survivors in the archdiocese.
ARTICLE 4. “Dioceses/eparchies will report an allegation of sexual
abuse of a person who is a minor to the public authorities. Dioceses/eparchies
will comply with all applicable civil laws with respect to the reporting of
allegations of sexual abuse of minors to civil authorities and will cooperate in
their investigation in accord with the law of the jurisdiction in question.
Dioceses/eparchies will cooperate with public authorities about reporting in
cases when the person is no longer a minor.
In every instance, dioceses/eparchies will advise victims of their right to make
a report to public authorities and will support this right.”
SNAP REQUESTS RELATED TO ARTICLE 4:
· That SNAP and the Archbishop appear at a public forum with prosecutors from counties within the archdiocese in order to reach and support more victims and to educate the public about sexual abuse.
· That, in the interest of protecting the public, the Archbishop help prosecutors to investigate all credibly accused perpetrators who have evaded prosecution, no matter how old the allegations.
· That the archdiocese release to appropriate district attorneys the personnel files of all priests and employees who are credibly accused of even one inappropriate act.
· That the archdiocese publicly disclose its legal costs from abuse cases—fees paid to its law firms as well as settlements to survivors.
· That the archdiocese refrain from introducing, supporting, and lobbying for legislation that protects pedophile priests by shielding the archdiocese from liability for the actions of its employees.
QUESTIONS RELATED TO ARTICLE 4:
· What procedure, if any, has the archdiocese adopted to ensure that priests from monastic orders who function throughout the archdiocese are not a danger to children?
· What procedure, if any, has the archdiocese followed when new allegations have been filed against priests within the past year?
ARTICLE 6. “While the priestly commitment to the virtue of chastity and the gift of celibacy is well known, there will be clear and well-publicized diocesan/eparchial standards of ministerial behavior and appropriate boundaries for clergy and for any other church personnel in positions of trust who have regular contact with children and young people.”
SNAP QUESTION RELATED TO ARTICLE 6:
Have the requirements of this article been satisfied?
ARTICLE 7. “Each diocese/eparchy will
develop a communications policy that reflects a commitment to transparency and
openness. Within the confines of respect for the privacy and the reputation of
the individuals involved, dioceses/eparchies will deal as openly as possible
with members of the community. This is especially so with regard to assisting
and supporting parish communities directly affected by ministerial misconduct
involving minors.”
SNAP REQUESTS RELATED TO ARTICLE 7:
· That the Archbishop, in conjunction with SNAP, conduct parish-based listening sessions for survivors and interested parish members, including some sessions that are open to the media and sessions at parishes where perpetrators served.
· That the archdiocese promote and publicize support group meetings for survivors through diocesan publications, including The Catholic Sentinel and parish bulletins and through postings on parish bulletin boards.
· That the archdiocese promote and publicize group meetings for survivors through periodic, paid advertisements in all major newspapers in the diocese, namely The Oregonian, The Statesman Journal, and The Register Guard.
· That the Archbishop refrain from publicly referring to survivors in any way that is negative or blaming or that attempts to excuse the church’s culpability for child sexual abuse and coveri-up by placing responsibility on survivors.
ARTICLE 8. “To assist in the consistent
application of these principles and to provide a vehicle of accountability and
assistance to dioceses/eparchies in this matter, we authorize the establishment
of an Office for Child and Youth Protection at our national headquarters. The
tasks of this Office will include (1) assisting individual dioceses/eparchies in
the implementation of "safe environment" programs (see Article 12 below), (2)
assisting provinces and regions in the development of appropriate mechanisms to
audit adherence to policies, and (3) producing an annual public report on the
progress made in implementing the standards in this Charter. This public report
shall include the names of those dioceses/eparchies which, in the judgment of
this Office, are not in compliance with the provisions and expectations of this
Charter. This Office will have staffing sufficient to fulfill its basic purpose.
Staff will consist of persons who are expert in the protection of minors; they
will be appointed by the General Secretary of the Conference.”
SNAP QUESTION RELATED TO ARTICLE 8:
Have the provisions of this article been satisfied?
ARTICLE 12. “Dioceses/eparchies will establish "safe environment" programs. They will cooperate with parents, civil authorities, educators, and community organizations to provide education and training for children, youth, parents, ministers, educators, and others about ways to make and maintain a safe environment for children. Dioceses/eparchies will make clear to clergy and all members of the community the standards of conduct for clergy and other persons in positions of trust with regard to sexual abuse.”
SNAP QUESTION RELATED TO ARTICLE 12:
Have the provisions of this article been satisfied?
ARTICLE 13. “Dioceses/eparchies will evaluate the background of all diocesan/eparchial and parish personnel who have regular contact with minors. Specifically, they will utilize the resources of law enforcement and other community agencies. In addition, they will employ adequate screening and evaluative techniques in deciding the fitness of candidates for ordination (cf. National Conference of Catholic Bishops, Program of Priestly Formation, 1993, no. 513).”
SNAP QUESTION RELATED TO ARTICLE 13:
Have the provisions of this article been satisfied?
ARTICLE 16. “Given the extent of the problem of the sexual abuse of minors in our society, we are willing to cooperate with other churches and ecclesial communities, other religious bodies, institutions of learning, and other interested organizations in conducting research in this area.”
SNAP QUESTIONS RELATED TO ARTICLE 16:
Is any research underway in the archdiocese? Has the archdiocese agreed to participate in any suggested research, and will it be open to doing so in the future?