Column: a Look at an Archdiocese Altering the Way It Addresses...
By Elizabeth Eisenstadt-Evans
I've been writing about sexual abuse among Christians for longer than I care to admit. But I don't often write about a religious institution's journey as it moves to reform the way it assesses allegations, holds proven perpetrators accountable and reaches out to help abuse victims. First, an important caveat (and a point that sadly often gets lost in the turmoil about clergy sex abuse): Aberrant behavior that harms children and young adults isn't only a problem for faith communities. The National Sexual Violence Center terms it "pervasive" and an "epidemic," with one in four girls and one in six boys becoming sexual abuse victims (though the organization also says that the rate is declining). According to statistics compiled by the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, more than one-third of sexual assaults are by family members, close to 60 percent by acquaintances. But that doesn't excuse members of ecclesiastical hierarchies from taking responsibilities for the wrongs committed in the name of God. Part of the reason that abuse, frankly, draws more attention (or, paradoxically, is not revealed by the victim so that he or she may get help) is the sheer horror of a crime perpetrated by someone believed to be trustworthy, even sanctified. This past week the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child published a report accusing the global Catholic Church of privileging clergy and the institution over protecting children. Responding to the U.N. committee's report, Sister Mary Ann Walsh, spokeswoman for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said, "Anyone bringing attention to the problem of sex abuse is moving toward solving it." However, she strongly criticized the committee for weaving issues such as contraception and abortion into the report. "Those are culture war issues," she said. "Sex abuse isn't a culture war issue — it's a sin and a crime." This past decade, however, has seen many dioceses in the United States make substantive changes to the process by which they handle abuse allegations. Due in part to the impact of two grand jury reports, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia has been a laboratory for concrete change as it sought to follow the directives developed in the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. The second grand jury report, alleging that the Archdiocese of Philadelphia had left abusive clergy in active ministry, also resulted in criminal charges against three priests and one lay teacher. In addition: "The report recommended that the Archdiocese of Philadelphia overhaul its procedures for assisting victims and for removing from ministry priests accused of molesting minors. The grand jury encouraged victims to report their abuse first to law enforcement." What has happened since the second grand jury report in 2011? As part of its response to the scathing critiques leveled in that document, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia hired two district attorney's office veterans. Now director of the archdiocesan Office for Child and Youth Protection, Leslie Davila previously served in the DA's office of victim services. Al Toczydlowski, a former prosecutor from the DA's office, was tapped to head the new Office of Investigations. In extending its background check requirements to include anyone, lay or ordained, working with children in a parish or a school, the archdiocese has met and exceeded the state requirements, Davila says. Over the past few years, it also has developed a "mandated reporter" program to explain what is expected from those who work with children and see something suspicious, "taking the burden from the child and making the adult the advocate and protector of children. We're a church of individuals who volunteer and work with children. We want to make sure they are screened just as much as those employed by the church." Under the leadership of Archbishop Charles Chaput the archdiocese has continued to make the process more transparent, posting information on its website, and inviting feedback on elements that may need to be strengthened, Davila says. Each year the archdiocese has approximately 6,000 to 9,000 participants enrolled in Safe Environment training. Davila's office also oversees the Victim's Assistance program, which not only is a gateway to mental health services for victims, but has staff who travel to parishes to conduct child abuse prevention forums and audit parish records to ensure that everyone has receive appropriate Safe Environment training. At this point, adds, Davila, the "great majority" of abuse allegations are "historical," dating back 20 years or more. "We recognize that is a long journey for the victim to even acknowledge the abuse they have suffered. We continue to have victims come forward." When Toczydlowski was hired in 2011, and asked to create the Office of Investigations, he became responsible for streamlining a process that had been criticized by some as arbitrary and sometimes secretive. After victims provide allegation details to the Office of Investigations, they are referred to the Office of Victim Services, he says. Where there may be possible criminal misconduct, the complaint is sent directly to district attorney's offices in the five-county area. "One of the complaints of the DA's office was that the archdiocese was running interference between law enforcement and the victim," Toczydlowski says. "We make sure that doesn't happen." In those cases, the archdiocese won't proceed with its own investigation until law enforcement has completed its own work, Toczydlowski says. When the office receives information that is not itself criminal behavior, but "troubling conduct that may lead to something further," (such as emailing a minor without a parent's permission, or riding in a car without another adult present), the archdiocese does its own inquiry. Eventually, the information collected by Toczydlowski's office on each individual allegation is evaluated by an interfaith, 12-member Professional Responsibility Review Board. That group includes those with mental-health and law enforcement credentials as well as clergy and child-sex-abuse experts, he says. Whatever their recommendation, Chaput makes the final call as to whether or not a clergyman continues to serve in ministry. "We're not getting a lot of complaints about recent sexual abuse," says Toczydlowski, pointing out that 75 of the 91 allegations reported since his office was created took place between 1980-2000, one between 2001-2005, and one after 2006 (14 allegations had no date). "The process we've instituted works very well. If I didn't think it did, I wouldn't be doing this job," Toczydlowski says. When asked how long he intends to stay at his post, however, the retired attorney says he is unsure. "It's pretty grueling (work)." While the staff in charge of the Youth Protection program at the Diocese of Harrisburg was unavailable for comment at this time, spokesperson Joe Aponick pointed out that resources for their program can be found here. Contact: Bellettrelliz@gmail.com
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