Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield Forms Independent Task Force to Advise Bishop Mitchell Rozanski on Confronting Reported Clergy Sex Abuse
By Patrick Johnson
SPRINGFIELD - Bishop Mitchell T. Rozanski announced on Wednesday the creation of an independent task force to advise the Diocese of Springfield on the ongoing issue of sexual misconduct and abuse by clergy within the diocese. The 10-member Independent Task Force on the Response to Sexual Abuse within the Diocese of Springfield will have retired Massachusetts Superior Court Judge Daniel Ford as chairman and Irene Woods, founding executive director of the Children’s Advocacy Center of Franklin County and North Quabbin, as vice chairwoman. The announcement comes as Rozanski awaits the delivery of the final report of retired Superior Court Judge Peter A. Velis into allegations of sexual misconduct made against the late Bishop Christopher J. Weldon dating back to the early 1960s. The Velis report, an independent fact-finding investigation commissioned by the Springfield Diocese in July, is expected to be delivered “in the near future,” according to diocese spokesman Mark E. Dupont. When it is delivered, the entire report will be made public. The Springfield Diocese, like many Roman Catholic dioceses across the country, has been embroiled in the public disclosure of pedophile priests who targeting children within the church for decades, and of church leaders who were aware and covered it up. Earlier this month, the Springfield Diocese announced it had entered into an agreement on a “memo of understanding” with the Western Massachusetts district attorneys in which the diocese will now contact area law enforcement once it learns of any allegations of clergy sexually assaulting minors or other vulnerable persons. Rozanski in a statement acknowledged the diocese’s past failures to protect its faithful and professed it would do better in the future. “I am uniquely aware that despite past efforts, our diocese has not always provided a meaningful nor pastoral response to victims of abuse so I am looking to this task force, which is made up of a diverse group of distinguished individuals with a tremendous scope of experience, to help us develop a strategic plan to improve our policies and procedures,” the statement read. "We owe all who we have failed to protect in the past a meaningful and transparent response to their important voice; we want to provide them with continuing support and healing while ensuring there is full accountability for any abuse; and we hope to ensure a caring and safe faith community for all in the future.” Other members of the task force include: The other members include Easthampton social worker Orlando Isaza, Martin Luther King Jr. Family Services CEO Ronald Johnson, Rev. Michael Pierz of St. John the Evangelist Parish in Agawam, Rev. William Tourigny of St. Rose de Lima Parish in Chicopee, Sister of St. Joseph Mary Quinn, James Stankiewicz, a retired educator and school administrator who is a survivor of clergy abuse. It also includes Northampton social worker Amber Zinni of the Trauma Institute and Child Trauma Institute, and Joan Tabachnick who has developed sexual violence prevention programs for state, local and national organizations for 25 years. In addition, Maurice Boisvert of Shrewsbury, Mass., a licensed independent clinical social worker, will serve as a planning consultant to the task force, and Jeffrey Trant, director of the diocesan Office of Safe Environment and Victim Assistance, will serve as senior staff to the group. Members of the task force have begun meeting and with the announcement of its formation, released what it developed as its mission statement. The statement reads: “Our mission will be informed by the report issued by Judge Peter A. Velis (ret.) regarding the Diocese of Springfield’s handling of allegations of sexual abuse by the late Bishop Christopher J. Weldon as well as direct feedback from other abuse survivors and family members. The task force will advise the Bishop of Springfield with specific steps for improvement in the following areas: (1) acknowledging the trauma of sexual abuse on members of our community and ensuring the allocation of resources needed to promote healing of survivors; (2) responding to all allegations of sexual abuse in our church community in a timely, compassionate and fair way; (3) ensuring the diocese has a transparent system of protocols and procedures that guarantee respect and due process for all involved; (4) ensuring that local church leadership is held responsible and accountable for failing to protect children and other vulnerable persons; (5) holding those who have been credibly accused of sexual abuse responsible and accountable; and (6) preventing sexual abuse of anyone in our faith communities in the future.” Ford, the chairman, issued a statement in which he said board members are humbled to have been selected to work on what he called an “ambitious agenda.” The Velis report and its findings will only be a starting point for the task force, he said. “We intend to gather information from all stakeholders, including survivors of sexual abuse, and to base our ultimate report on additional data, the Velis Report, and best practices. We are setting no time deadlines and we will take whatever time we need to be thorough and comprehensive,” he said. "At the same time, recognizing the importance of this endeavor, we will work as quickly and expeditiously as humanly possible. Recommended changes, however, will not wait for the strategic plan report. They will be forwarded to the bishop for immediate implementation as they are developed. We will make our report public when it is finished and we will brief the members of the press on the matters set forth in it. We look forward to being of assistance to the bishop in significantly improving whatever protocols and procedures may currently be in existence.”
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