Steubenville Bishop Speaks Out on Delay in Sex Abuse Accountability Policy

By Linda Harris
Wheeling Intelligencer
November 26, 2018

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In this Sept 12, 2012, file photo, Steubenville Bishop Jeffrey Monforton speaks in Steubenville, Ohio. The Associated Press has learned the diocese plans to become the second in Ohio to release a list of priests who have been removed from parishes because of sexual abuse and misconduct allegations. Photo by Michael D. McElwain

Bishop Jeffrey M. Monforton said he understands Pope Francis’ desire to develop a worldwide approach to combating the Roman Catholic Church’s sexual abuse crisis.

The Diocese of Steubenville’s leader made his comments following “an obvious curveball” that the Vatican threw at the U.S. Council of Catholic Bishops when it nixed the group’s plans to vote on accountability proposals. Monforton said Pope Francis wants to pursue a worldwide, rather than a geographical, approach.

Although the council did sign off on an anti-racism letter, it also had planned to vote on a proposal to establish an investigative board — one that would include lay people — to look into allegations of sexual misconduct, as well as a draft code of conduct for bishops. That plan changed when the Vatican issued a last-minute directive prohibiting a vote until after a global Vatican-led meeting on the church’s sex abuse scandal convenes in February.

“We came in thinking we were going to take a vote; obviously that vote was delayed,” Monforton said during a recent interview, adding he thought the Council of Bishops “certainly acclimated well” to the delay so Pope Francis “can work with all the bishop conferences throughout the world.”

“We have to look through the universal eyes of the church, it’s not just us,” Monforton said. “After that, we have to keep our minds open” to other ideas.”

He said the sex scandal and grand jury reports concerning widespread abuse in Pennsylvania and other states “need to be addressed,” though exactly what approach the church should take is subject to debate. That’s the case even within the Council of Bishops.

He said a number of bishops who spoke at the conference “vocalized their concerns” with the proposals, including some who insisted their predecessors had done the best they could at the time.

“These are my brothers,” Monforton said. “We may not agree on everything, but if people are disenchanted or disappointed, it’s their right to disagree. From the beginnings of the church, there have been disagreements. Basically, it’s the nature of the church, people are going to disagree.”

Monforton, meanwhile, said he is satisfied the Diocese of Steubenville is addressing the controversy. In October, the diocese released the names of 16 priests and a seminarian who had been “credibly accused” or admitted to sexual abuse of a minor and removed from active ministry. Diocesan officials also have been reaching out to members of the community who might have been hurt in the past and are asking anyone who may have been hurt to come forward, he has said.

The Rev. Sean O. Sheridan, TOR, president of the Franciscan University of Steubenville, also has met one-on-one with those who might have been wronged.

Monforton said strong leadership “requires accountability and transparency.”

“We are a church that stresses humility as a virtue,” he said. “We’re reminded that true humility often requires humiliation … it will make us stronger, because at the end of the day, our eyes are supposed to be focused on Jesus.”

And while addressing the victims of past abuse is important, he said it’s also important to ensure it never happens again. To increase accountability, he said the diocese holds mandatory training for those working with young people. Leaders who do not attend “will be refused the ability to serve in the public arena,” he said.

When allegations are made, “we need to respond immediately,” he added. “Things in the justice system need to play out for us to determine guilt or innocence, but when there’s an accusation, action must be taken immediately to protect the victim, the victim’s family and, obviously, the accused, too — they need to be given the right to defend themselves,” he said. “But action must be taken immediately — I think we’ve learned a lot about that.”

Monforton said he is saddened by the scandal, “but at the end of the day our responsibility is to share Jesus with one another, and my job is to encourage people to do that.”