BishopAccountability.org
	Order Says Rules Aim to Avert Abuses By John Simerman and Jessica Guynn Contra Costa Times January 23, 2005 Robert Fuller gives credit -- if not all-out forgiveness -- to the Christian Brothers. He's still angry that the religious order quickly moved his alleged molester, Brother Raimond Rose, to another district after allegations surfaced in 1983. But today, after a $1.1 million settlement, he says the order's San Francisco district has pledged strong measures to prevent abuse of students at De La Salle High School and its other schools. Among them are a "zero tolerance" policy toward sexual misconduct, stringent guidelines and background and fingerprint checks. The district's religious leaders refused an interview request. "In the event that allegations are reported, we move quickly to investigate, determine the appropriate course of action and then work to bring a swift resolution," they said in a written statement issued by their public relations firm. "We are determined to prevent these types of incidents." One of Fuller's lawyers, Laurence Drivon, who represents numerous plaintiffs in clergy abuse cases, says the Christian Brothers have been more diligent in pressing for reforms than other religious institutions in California. The religious order agreed, for example, to resolve three alleged sexual abuse cases "without putting these (plaintiffs) through brutal discovery," he said. The order ultimately consented to the release of key case documents and agreed to an outside audit of their procedures for handling allegations, Drivon said. "It is new, and it is progress," said Drivon. "The question is, what is their bottom-line dedication? I think history supports a healthy level of skepticism." Hanna Boys Center in Sonoma, a nonprofit Catholic residential treatment center for at-risk youths, years ago implemented the same strong measures as the Christian Brothers, said executive director John Crews. The center had become embroiled in abuse allegations when it hired Christian Brother and psychologist Joseph Gutierrez, now known as Jesse Gutierrez-Cervantes. A man who settled a lawsuit claiming he was abused at the center when he was 13 years old by Gutierrez said officials were not to blame. "Nothing like this could happen there now," he said. Many institutions -- from schools to the Boy Scouts -- have struggled with allegations of sexual abuse, says Thomas Plante, a Santa Clara University psychology professor who has written two books on clerical abuse. But religious institutions, he said, must be held to a higher standard. "The good news is that -- today's children have much less chance of being harmed in this way than yesterday's children." Fuller said he's hopeful that's true. "I think (the Christian Brothers have) really stepped up to the plate," he said. "These guys saying it's not going to happen again, and we're going to take steps -- that's worth something."
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