Bishop
renews vow of change
Skylstad says after painful year, crisis far from over
Related stories
Virginia de Leon
Staff writer
Spokane, WA
Spokesman-Review
On the last day of the most tumultuous year in the Roman Catholic Church's recent history, Spokane's bishop repeated his pledge to seek input from the laity, reach out to victims of clergy sex abuse and ensure children's safety.
"It's been a hard and painful year, but there was something really amiss that needed to get in order," Bishop William Skylstad said during an interview Tuesday.
Although steps have been taken and the church is coming to grips with the culture of silence surrounding sex abuse, the crisis is far from over, said Skylstad, who is also the vice president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
"We can't let this matter drop."
The Spokane Diocese has been named as a defendant in three lawsuits filed by 13 people since September. More lawsuits are expected in the coming months.
Looking back at the pervasiveness of the problem, Skylstad said he was initially shocked by the number of priests facing allegations.
Nationwide, more than 570 priests have been accused of sexual abuse, according to Survivors First, a victims advocacy group that has compiled a database of alleged abusers.
In the Spokane Diocese, Skylstad has identified six priests who admitted committing sexual abuse. One allegation against the Rev. Dan Wetzler -- who has been removed from ministry but has denied the charge -- is being investigated by the diocesan review board through a private investigator. That allegation, along with the known incidents of abuse, occurred more than two decades ago, the bishop said.
Allegations also were made against six other priests who are now dead, but the diocese has declined to release their names.
Skylstad's focus since the scandal erupted earlier this year has been on the victims, he said. "We're not into covering up and protecting the church," Skylstad said. "We want to support victims in their healing and reconciliation."
In its effort to be accountable and transparent, the diocese also plans to release the total dollar amount paid out in settlements over the years. Skylstad said he knows of six or seven settlements that were made, paid by either the diocese's insurance company or the priests themselves.
Since 1996, the diocese has spent roughly $60,000 in counseling and legal fees, he added.
Skylstad emphasized that this is a new era for the church, especially after the Vatican approved the bishops' national sex abuse policy and the appointment of former FBI official Kathleen McChesney to lead the church's Office for Child and Youth Protection.
This is a time for laity to get involved, Skylstad said. "Given this significant historical moment, we can't afford not to involve the collective wisdom of our people," he said.
Members of the local Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests have criticized the bishop for what they perceive as his lack of sensitivity toward victims. Several Catholics, including former Spokane County Prosecutor Don Brockett, also have accused him of protecting perpetrators. They want Skylstad to resign for failing to hold abusive priests accountable over the years.
On Tuesday, Skylstad said he had no knowledge of any abuse that took place in the diocese until after it happened. He also said that when he was the pastor at Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Parish in Spokane, he was not aware of the abuse committed by Patrick O'Donnell, a priest who has been named as a defendant in lawsuits. At least six of the plaintiffs were students at Assumption when they were allegedly molested by O'Donnell.
In a previous interview, Skylstad told the newspaper he passed on one allegation of inappropriate bathing behavior by O'Donnell to then-Bishop Bernard Topel.
"There is an assumption that the bishop knew everything," he said. "But even in very intimate family circumstances, people are not aware of what's going on."
During the time when the abuse was committed, "bishops really did try to provide the best professional expertise," he said. "There was a feeling that people could go to therapy ... and that a person could be restored. Today, we know that the approach is inappropriate. ... It is easy in hindsight to make judgments of what we should have done."
Police reports, filed by the diocese earlier this year, proved to be useless to victims who wanted to see the perpetrators punished. Because of the statute of limitations, the six priests who admitted to Skylstad that they had abused minors can't be criminally prosecuted.
All have been removed from ministry. But three of them -- Art Mertens, James O'Malley and Theodore Bradley -- still benefit from the diocese's retirement program. "These are human beings as well," Skylstad said, acknowledging the fact that some people would like to cut them off from that support. "The church is about compassion and forgiveness."
Victims and others seeking justice are working with Brockett in an effort to convince lawmakers to eliminate the statute of limitations. "I think the Catholic Church -- the lay people, not the hierarchy -- is going to have to address this problem," Brockett said in an earlier interview.
In recent months, Skylstad said he has met with about 30 victims. Although some victims say they've received no support from Skylstad, the bishop pledged that the diocese will pay for their counseling -- even if the victim files a lawsuit -- as long as the abuse occurred in the Spokane diocese. So far, there is no restriction on the amount of counseling a victim receives. In some cases, Skylstad said, the diocese has paid for counseling and medication for as long as eight years.
Despite the pain and embarrassment of the clergy sex abuse scandal, it was necessary for the church to confront the problem in a public way, the bishop said.
"This is an opportunity for us to do it right," Skylstad said. "We're going to be healthier after this ... We're on a journey. We learn from one another as we look to the future with a sense of hopefulness."
Virginia de Leon can be reached at (509) 459-5312 or by e-mail at virginiad@spokesman.com.