Catholic Church remains committed to accountability, transparency

By Bishop Felipe Estevez
Times-Union
June 23, 2019

https://bit.ly/31I6BnM

Since last August, I have responded to letters from Catholics and members of our community who have voiced their concern for the church’s handling of the sexual abuse crisis.

I have pledged my commitment to transparency and accountability, and I have taken action to ensure there is a full accounting of the diocesan safe environment program, which was initiated in 1989 by Bishop John Snyder.

I had anticipated that a “Report to the Faithful” would be ready for public release by the new year, but in October, Florida’s Attorney General, Pam Bondi, announced her office is investigating the seven dioceses in Florida to ensure the church is properly handling allegations of sexual abuse. The diocese has cooperated fully with the state’s investigation, and the report will be released once the investigation is done. I want this report to be accurate and complete and reflect any findings from the state’s investigation.

In a guest column, “It is time for Bishop Estevez to disclose all” by Chris Shea and Joseph Lowrey, they wrote, “In an unacceptable and intolerable fashion, a directive has cut the laity out of any investigation; it also fails to explicitly direct clergy to report abuse to secular authorities.” This statement and others they made are untrue.

Here are the facts regarding the diocese’s safe environment policies and protocols:

No clergy (bishops, priests, deacons and seminarians) are serving in the diocese who have been credibly accused of sexual abuse of minors or vulnerable adults. We have a zero-tolerance policy. If anyone knows differently, please report it to law enforcement.

All allegations of sexual abuse that we receive are turned over to law enforcement.

Notices on how to report abuse to civil authorities are printed weekly in parish bulletins.

All credible allegations of sexual abuse of minors and vulnerable adults are published in parish bulletins and shared with local media for broader distribution.

We have had an independent Review Board in place since 1989 that reviews allegations of abuse and makes recommendations on policies and protocols. Members of the board are lay professionals not employed by the church and have expertise in law enforcement, victim advocacy, canon/civil law, and health.

The Review Board does not investigate abuse claims. In no way does the diocese interfere with or replace a civil investigation. If law enforcement decides not to investigate a claim, an investigator with law enforcement experience investigates allegations to determine the credibility of the claims.

We have a victim advocate who reaches out to victims and accompanies them through the process of reporting their abuse and provides resources such as counseling services.

The diocese has passed every independent audit of its safe environment program since the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops began auditing dioceses in 2002.

Since 1998, more than 49,000 bishops, priests, deacons, seminarians, employees, and volunteers have undergone criminal background screenings with the FDLE and FBI. The screenings are repeated every five years. No one can report to work without passing a background screening.

Since 2002, more than 38,000 people have completed child protection training. It is required of all bishops, priests, deacons, seminarians, employees, and volunteers.

This week, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops approved protocols to ensure bishops are held accountable for instances of sexual abuse of children or vulnerable persons, sexual misconduct, or the intentional mishandling of such cases. We specifically committed to involving and utilizing lay professional experts. We also approved the establishment of a new, independent mechanism for the reporting of such cases which will be fully operational by May 31, 2020.