2004 Audit Executive Summary:
Archdiocese of Seattle
Archbishop Alex J. Brunett
Previous Audit Conducted
9/15-19/2003
The information found herein represents conditions as they were found
to exist during the week of 11/15-19/2004.
The Archdiocese has a policy on the
prevention of sexual abuse of minors by clergy. The Archdiocese provides
outreach designed to offer pastoral care to victims/survivors and their
families. The Archbishop or his representative has met with, or offered to
meet with all victims/survivors who have reported allegations of abuse
since the last compliance audit. The Archbishop or his delegate has
directed outreach to all faith communities in which the sexual abuse
occurred. The Archdiocese has a mechanism in place to respond promptly to
any allegation where there is reason to believe that sexual abuse of a
minor occurred.
The Archdiocese has a victim assistance coordinator, Ms. Jessie Dye,
who was selected based upon her extensive experience in mediation and
conflict resolution, her pastoral abilities and her prior experience
handling employment disputes and sexual harassment cases for the
Archdiocese. The Archdiocese established in 2003 a Review Board that
consists of 11 members. The members include two retired judges; an
attorney in private practice; the director of a facility that treats
victims of sexual assault; a neurology nurse; the clinical director of a
counseling service; a parish priest; a psychologist; a professor of canon
law; a consulting and forensic psychologist; the Promoter of Justice for
the Archdiocese; and an alternate member who is the Superior of the Jesuit
Community in Tacoma. The Board serves as a confidential consultative body
to the Archbishop.
The procedures for making a complaint of abuse are readily available in
printed form, and are the subject of periodic public announcements. The
Archdiocese has entered into one confidentiality agreement during the
audit period at the request of the victim/survivor.
The Archdiocese had no
allegations of sexual abuse of a minor to report to public authorities
since the last compliance audit. The Archdiocese complies with all
applicable civil laws with respect to the reporting of allegations of
sexual abuse of minors to civil authorities. The Archdiocese has
established effective liaison with civil authorities, ensuring that an
open dialogue regarding sexual abuse allegations will occur. The
Archdiocese cooperates with public authorities about reporting in cases
when the person is no longer a minor. In all instances, the Archdiocese
advises victims/survivors of their right to report allegations of abuse by
a member of the clergy to civil authorities.
When an allegation of sexual abuse of a minor by a priest or deacon is
received, a preliminary investigation, in harmony with canon law, is
initiated. If a preliminary investigation so indicates, the Archdiocese
notifies the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith and applies the
precautionary measures mentioned in CIC, canon 1722, or CCEO, canon 1473.
When accusations against a priest or a deacon are proven to be unfounded,
the Archdiocese takes steps to restore the good name of the priest or
deacon.
When sexual abuse of a minor by a priest or a deacon is admitted or
established after an appropriate process in accord with canon law, the
Archdiocesan policies provide that the offending priest or deacon be
permanently removed from ministry. The Archdiocese offers professional
assistance to offending priests or deacons.
In every case involving canonical penalties, the processes provided for
in canon law are observed. Accused clergy are encouraged to retain the
assistance of civil and canonical counsel. When necessary, the Archdiocese
supplies canonical counsel to a priest or deacon.
If the penalty of dismissal from the clerical state has not been
applied, the Archdiocese directs the offender to lead a life of prayer and
penance. The Archdiocese does not allow the offender to celebrate Mass
publicly, to administer the sacraments, or to present himself publicly as
a priest.
The Archdiocese has established clear and well-publicized standards of
ministerial behavior for priests and deacons. A communications policy is
in effect which reflects the Archbishop’s pledge to be open and
transparent on issues regarding the sexual abuse of children. The
Archdiocese does assist and support all parish communities directly
affected by ministerial misconduct involving minors.
The Archdiocese has fully implemented a
"safe environment" education program. The educational program for
children, parents, ministers, educators and all others is “Formation for
Love and Chastity” with specific components designed for each group. The
Archdiocese has clear and well-publicized standards of conduct for persons
in positions of trust with regard to sexual abuse. The Archdiocese
conducts background evaluations for all Archdiocesan and parish personnel
who have regular contact with minors, using appropriate law enforcement
resources where permissible. The Archdiocese employs adequate screening
and evaluative techniques in deciding the fitness of candidates for
ordination.
The Archdiocese has not transferred any priest or deacon who has had a
credible allegation of sexual abuse made against him to another
ministerial assignment since the last audit. The Archdiocese has not
transferred any priest or deacon who has had a credible allegation of
sexual abuse made against him to another diocese for residence since the
last audit.
The Archbishop, or his designee, has coordinated with major superiors
of men with a presence in the Archdiocese concerning addressing the issue
of allegations of sexual abuse of minors by clergy. The Archdiocese has
participated in research with other institutions in the area of sexual
abuse. The Archdiocese has developed a systematic ongoing formation
program in keeping with the Basic Plan for the Ongoing Formation of
Priests.
At the conclusion of this
compliance audit, the Archdiocese was found to be compliant with all
articles of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young
People.
The following is submitted as reflective of this diocese's/eparchy's
advancement in the implementation of the Charter for the Protection of
Children and Young People. Each example exceeds what is required by
the Charter.
- Partnership with other Organizations
In October, 2004,
the Archdiocese joined with the King County Sexual Assault Resource
Center and the Chief Seattle Council of Boy Scouts of America to sponsor
a conference entitled “Risk Reduction: Sexual assault and abuse
prevention for agencies serving youth.” At the conference, presenters
from various agencies shared “best practices” and information about how
organizations can assure the protection of children they serve.
The Office on Child Abuse and Neglect (OCAN) sponsors an annual
conference. The Archdiocese of Seattle will present a workshop entitled
“Responding to Sexual Abuse in Our Church: Supporting Parishes and Faith
Communities through Collaboration.”
- Parish response team/parish outreach
In 2004, the
Archbishop and the Vicar for Clergy instituted two separate programs
designed to offer information and resources to parishes and faith
communities in the Archdiocese, and to respond more directly and reach
out to the parish and faith communities directly and indirectly impacted
by priests who have been accused of sexual abuse of minors and have
served in those communities Between February and April 2004, seven
regional gatherings were offered for all 179 parishes and faith
communities in the Archdiocese.
In September and October, 2004, meetings were held in eight different
regions of the Archdiocese to provide outreach and responses to
twenty-seven parishes and faith communities where four accused clerics
were previously assigned. The meetings took place within three weeks of
the announcement of the disposition of these cases by the CDF and the
Archbishop. The purpose of the meetings was to explain the canonical
process involved, describe the impact of sexual abuse on individuals and
communities, and to answer questions or hear concerns from parishioners.
The team consisted of both Chancery personnel and experts in the
field of addressing child sexual abuse, and included the Vicar for
Clergy, the Chancellor, the Pastoral Outreach Coordinator, a
representative from the Human Resources Department, the Associate
Director for Pastoral Services and the Assistant Director for Leadership
Services in the Office of the Vicar for Clergy, and two therapists with
expertise in the area of child sexual abuse.
The team conducted two-hour meetings in which presenters reviewed the
canonical process and the decision of the CDF in each of the applicable
cases; described the archdiocesan history and current policies of
addressing allegations of child sexual abuse as well as current
professional ethics policies of the archdiocese; an apology by the Vicar
for Clergy, in his name and in the name of the Archbishop, for the pain
caused by sexual abuse of children by priests; a presentation by two
therapists on the impact of sexual abuse on victims, families and
communities; and a question and answer period.
- Further refinement of the testimonial process.
The
testimonial process is managed by the Office of the Vicar for Clergy and
involves a series of checks and balances regarding any extern priest who
wishes to minister in the Archdiocese, whether for a day or for a year.
The testimonial process involves having the Ordinary of the originating
diocese attest to the good standing of the extern priest in question. In
addition, the vicar for Clergy asks for feedback from the pastor of the
parish in which the extern priest ministered. The Archdiocese has
created a centralized databank of names of visiting priests, indicating
whether there were any concerns about a particular priest. In the past
year, the Archdiocese has effectively stopped at least three priests
from returning to the Archdiocese, and has received enough feedback
regarding at least two different priests that will allow the Archbishop
to prohibit those priests from returning to the Archdiocese.
- Development of an Institute on Child Sexual Abuse
Acting
in confidence that "for God all things are possible" (Mt 19:26),
Archbishop Alex J. Brunett proposed creation of a child sexual abuse
institute in the spring of 2004. The institute will be dedicated to
protecting children from sexual abuse and exploring new methods for
treating victims. Archbishop Brunett’s proposal has been embraced by a
variety of community partners and has already resulted in a “Risk
Reduction” workshop for youth-serving organizations sponsored
cooperatively by the Archdiocese of Seattle and two nonprofit
organizations in King County, Washington (The King County Sexual Assault
Resource Center and the Chief Seattle Council of Boy Scouts of America).
A future symposium is under discussion with Seattle University to
explore the proposal in an interdisciplinary forum prior to forming a
steering committee made up of representatives from a broad spectrum of
community leaders.
- Continued Outreach to Advocacy Groups
Archbishop Brunett
invited the leadership of Puget Sound Voice of the Faithful to meet with
him and two lay members of his Curia in December, 2002, shortly after
the group organized in the Seattle area. He shared with them candidly
and openly about the Church’s response to allegations of abuse, and
committed to transparency regarding financial disclosure. He described
the recently completed regional sessions that were part of the
Archdiocesan Pastoral Council’s vision statement process, and shared the
many consultative groups that include laity throughout the archdiocese.
Archbishop Brunett committed to ongoing dialogue with Voice of the
Faithful through his lay designees.
The Puget Sound Voice of the Faithful held a gathering in August,
2003, at which the main speaker was Dr. James Post. One of the lay
members of the archdiocesan Curia participated as a speaker at the
event. The Voice of the Faithful leadership maintain regular
communication with the Archbishop’s designated lay liaisons.
The Archbishop has communicated a willingness to meet with the
leadership of SNAP but they have not availed themselves of this offer.
In April, 2004, the director of Seattle SNAP issued a news release
commending the Archbishop and the Review Board for action taken with
regard to a priest who had been removed from active ministry due to an
allegation of abuse.
- Planning for the provision of pastoral support to priests on
leave
The Vicar for Clergy is regularly available to priests
on leave. This happens on an ongoing basis with each priest (except
two); one wants no contact; the other meets daily with retired priests.
A Compliance Officer meets monthly with priests on leave and reports
back to the Archbishop and the Vicar for Clergy about their mental and
physical well-being and if they are at risk of re-offending. One priest
has refused to meet with the Compliance Officer.
A priest support team is being organized to meet with priests on
leave on a monthly basis. This team came as an initiative by active
priests who met with the Vicar for Clergy. The Archbishop wants to meet
with this team before they begin their monthly visits.
- Acceptance of Regional Canonical Advocacy Policy.
In
August, 2004, several canon lawyers (including 3 from the Archdiocese of
Seattle) of Region XII met to discuss several issues facing the dioceses
in the region. One of the discussions related to the need for a regional
policy regarding canonical advocates. The policy would address issues
such as professional ethics, fees, and confidentiality. This policy was
accepted by the bishops of Region XII (including Archbishop Brunett), on
October 26, 2004, as policy for the region, in order to foster
cooperation and common pastoral practice in the region. This regional
policy furthers the opportunity for individual priests to obtain the
canonical assistance necessary to ensure due process, and to ensure
standard practices within our region. The policy also includes a list of
qualified canonists from which to choose an advocate.