By Nicole C. Brambila
Desert Sun
March 30, 2010
http://www.mydesert.com/article/20100330/LIFESTYLES06/3300303/-1/lifestylesfront
CALIFORNIA -- In the wake of reports Pope Benedict XVI once shuffled a priest accused of child sex abuse while archbishop in Germany, local diocesan officials offer papal support while victims say the latest scandal to rock the Catholic Church is "the tip of the iceberg."
"It's always painful for us as Catholics to reflect on this issue," said John Andrews, spokesman for the San Bernardino Diocese that also includes Riverside County.
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| Pope Benedict XVI handles a staff with crucifix during a memorial Mass at St. Peter's Basilica, at the Vatican, to mark the fifth anniversary of the death of Pope John Paul II. The pope has been under fire amid reports he once shuffled a priest accused of child sex abuse while an archbishop in Germany. Photo by Alessandra Tarantino |
"Our prayers go out to the victims of this terrible crime. And, of course, we're also praying for the pope," he said Monday.
Over the weekend, London protesters demanded that the pope resign amid reports that he, as then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, allowed a priest to remain working with children while receiving therapy for pedophilia. The priest was ultimately convicted of abusing minors.
In 2001, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops created a "zero- tolerance policy" after the sex abuse scandal in Boston grabbed international headlines that the San Bernardino Diocese also adopted.
"I think we have done a lot in our diocese within the past decade to demonstrate contrition and also responsibility on this issue," Andrews said.
"If we believe there's a credible allegation, they are immediately removed from the situation where they would have any access to children. It's a zero-tolerance policy, meaning you don't get multiple chances at this."
Father Howard Lincoln, pastor of Sacred Heart Church in Palm Desert, said he believes that transparency and openness are mandatory.
"When we don't speak out and we try to hide, that's when we scandalize the faithful in this day and age," he said. "Openness is pivotal."
Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP, organizers have contended the San Bernardino Diocese has been used by larger dioceses as a priest dumping ground — a charge the diocese denies — citing defrocked priest Paul Shanley, who was sent from Boston as a "priest in good standing."
Other sex abuse claims against a local diocesan priest include the Rev. Malachy McGinn, who died in 1997 after serving at St. Theresa Catholic Church in Palm Springs.
David Price said he wasn't surprised the sex scandal had reached the Vatican.
"It's a systemic problem in the Catholic Church, but it's also an epidemic on our planet," Price said. "I think we can honestly thank the United States for exposing it.
"We're going to find that he wasn't only aware of that one priest in Germany, but probably several."
Price was among the very first to sue the Catholic Church in 1994 when he publicly accused an Orange County priest and his high school principal of molestation. Price self-published his story, "Altar Boy, Altered Life," in 2008.
Abuse is 'everywhere'
A 2004 report commissioned by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops found 4,392 priests accused of sexual abuse from 1950 to 2002, which represents roughly 4.3 percent of priesthood at that time.
San Bernardino Bishop Gerald R. Barnes reported finding 22 instances of suspected abuse filed against 20 priests in 2002.
In 2007, the Roman Catholic diocese of San Diego and San Bernardino jointly settled a $198.1 million suit with 144 claims of sexual abuse by clergy.
The San Bernardino Diocese paid more than $15 million of the joint settlement for 11 cases involving eight priests and 11 suspected victims.
"Sexual abuse, unfortunately, occurs everywhere," said Joelle Casteix, Southern California SNAP director.
"It's a pervasive crime in our society. In other churches, the laity has a very strong role. The power is in the pews, not in the pulpit. In the Catholic Church, it's the other way around.
"I think what we're seeing in Germany right now is just the tip of the iceberg."
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