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	Church to Review Handling of Abuse Cases Ottawa archbishop says he won't follow Toronto's creation of lay advice panel By Louisa Taylor Ottawa Citizen April 19, 2010 http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Church+review+handling+abuse+cases/2923023/story.html The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Ottawa says his archdiocese will be examining its protocols for the handling of cases of sexual abuse by priests, although he stopped short of joining his Toronto counterpart in appointing a panel of lay experts to give advice. Archbishop Terrence Prendergast was reacting to a pastoral letter issued on the weekend by Archbishop Thomas Collins of Toronto. Collins announced new measures to update diocesan policies. "I will be asking a qualified group of lay people, recognized as having relevant experience with youth, psychology, legal issues and ethics, to examine carefully whatever we can learn from other groups, and by July 31, 2010, to recommend any ways that our procedure can be made even more effective," Collins said in a statement posted on the archdiocese's website and distributed to the church's 255 Toronto parishes as a pastoral letter. Collins went on to say he would convene a meeting of his priests in the fall to discuss the updated protocols. Prendergast said he touched on similar themes in Ottawa on Saturday night when addressing a meeting of the Knights of Columbus. "We need to take a look at the protocols and adjust them if they need it," said Prendergast. "I've asked my staff to look at the protocols we have and make whatever tweaking needs to be done. "There's always some way we can improve," the archbishop said. Prendergast said he has no plans for a similar pastoral letter, although he said he is discussing the sexual abuse issue with his staff. "It seems to be on everybody's mind, and whether we think we've done a good enough job or not in communicating our policies and our procedures, the fact that there's intense scrutiny means we have to reassure our people," he said. The archbishop said he has heard from "only a few" Ottawa Catholics as the scandal over sexual abuse by priests has engulfed the Vatican. Some parishioners have told him they can no longer support the church and others have said they feel the media is being unfair to the church. "We're aware of the victims, we care for them and want to support them and heal them. We haven't had any new charges for some time. ... But if there are people who have new matters they want to bring forward, we're there to hear them and help them." In his pastoral letter, Collins said the current procedure "is transparent and fulfils every obligation of law in Ontario and Canada. It was revised in 1991 and again in 2003, but we need to review it again." Collins said recent weeks, with their continuing revelations of allegations of sexually abusive priests, have been painful for Catholics. "It seems that not a day has gone by in recent weeks without hearing of Catholic priests who have sexually abused those entrusted to their care, or of the failure of their superiors to deal rightly with that." Collins said the scandals are exceptions to the rule. "But just one priest gone wrong causes great suffering, and as we hear of evil done by some clergy in our own communities and around the world, we are all filled with dismay." He said this fall, with the new procedure in place, priests and others who are engaged in pastoral service in the archdiocese will discuss how they can best respond to the issue of sexual abuse in the church and in society.
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