UNITED STATES
National Catholic Register
by JOAN FRAWLEY DESMOND 12/12/2014
WASHINGTON — Capuchin Father John Pavlik recalls the deep sadness he felt when confronted with an allegation of sexual abuse that involved a member of his religious order.
The accused had died, and the accuser was an elderly woman who resided in a nursing home and had contacted the order for the first time. Father Pavlik checked the priest’s file and found no allegations, but scheduled a meeting with the woman to hear her story and to ask what the Capuchins could do to offer support.
“I listened whole-heartedly, and based on my training, I believed what she said,” Father Pavlik told the Register, noting that the woman had been a minor when the priest fondled her during a counseling session.
“She had gone to find assistance from a priest, and instead he ends up harming her.”
The woman didn’t want a financial settlement. But she accepted the Capuchins’ offer of counseling and help with medical bills, and the order continued to reach out until her death.
Years later, Father Pavlik is still “heartbroken” that the Capuchins’ offer of assistance couldn’t erase the trauma she had experienced long ago and never forgotten.
But the story also serves as a reminder that Father Pavlik, like many superiors of religious orders of men, had learned the importance of acting quickly on allegations of abuse and putting victims first.
Now, in his present role as the executive director of the Conference of Major Superiors of Men (CMSM), he directs an annual review of new information and research that helps members fine-tune the implementation of standards designed to safeguard minors and prevent further abuse.
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