Allentown bishop makes pledge to clergy sex abuse survivors

69 News
November 28, 2018

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The bishop of the Diocese of Allentown made a personal pledge of accountability to victims and survivors of clergy sexual abuse.

Bishop Alfred Schlert said the pledge follows a meeting of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in Baltimore that ended without a vote on issues of bishops' accountability.

"In spite of the lack of a vote, I remain personally committed to preventing abuse, to keeping children safe and to dealing swiftly and effectively with allegations of misconduct," Schlert said in a statement Wednesday morning.

He released and signed the following pledge:

My Pledge to Victims and Survivors:

1. The Diocese of Allentown will not protect abusers. No institution, Church or secular, should ever prioritize its own reputation over the safety of the innocent and the vulnerable.

2. We immediately report all allegations to law enforcement. We also will continue to act with transparency, in cooperation with law enforcement.

3. Accused priests will be removed from ministry immediately pending an investigation. I have never transferred an abuser to cover up the problem, and I never will.

4. I am willing to meet with you at any time, no matter how long ago your abuse occurred, to offer pastoral care and support, but mostly, to listen. I will treat all victims with dignity and respect.

5. I will hold myself accountable to outside oversight. Our past failures as Bishops must not be repeated. I welcome independent and objective scrutiny as I work to fulfill my grave responsibility to prevent abuse and to keep children safe.

Schlert previously said he strongly supports Bishop accountability measures. The proposals by Schlert and other Bishops will be taken to a planned February meeting in Rome with Pope Francis and international church leaders.

The Diocese of Allentown was recently hit with a second lawsuit coming out of the grand jury report on sex abuse.

In the lawsuit, which names Bishop Schlert and several other church leaders, a survivor claims the church sent a predator priest to get therapy and then put him back at the parish where he allegedly molested a child.

In early November, Pennsylvania's Roman Catholic dioceses started to announce details about victim compensation funds they're setting up.

The Diocese of Allentown said its program will be independent from the church and aims to help victims and their families heal and recover, but details and a timetable for implementation have not yet been announced.

The U.S. Department of Justice opened an investigation in October into child sexual abuse by Roman Catholic priests in Pennsylvania. Federal prosecutors sent subpoenas to at least seven of the state's eight Roman Catholic dioceses, including Allentown, to demand secret files and testimony from high-ranking leaders.

A scathing state grand jury report over the summer found that 301 "predator priests" in Pennsylvania had molested more than 1,000 children over seven decades, and that church leaders had covered up for the offenders.

The report names dozens of accused offenders in the Diocese of Allentown.