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	Priests Would Be Subject to Searches Archdiocese Says Target Is 'Inappropriate' Behavior By Mary Zahn Milwaukee Journal Sentinel [Milwaukee WI] April 14, 2005 Priests in the Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee can be required to consent to unannounced searches of their homes at any time of the day or night if church officials suspect or know they have been involved in sexual conduct, alcohol or drug abuse, or other behavior deemed inappropriate by Archbishop Timothy Dolan, according to a policy change announced to clergy last week. _________________________________________________________________________________ Memo: Bishop Dolan's memo to priests about the new policy (PDF) Policy: Details of the Clerical Support Initiative (PDF) Clergy subject to monitoring Under the new policy, clergy members may be: Subject to unscheduled home visits that may be conducted "at any time of the day or night, seven days per week." The checks can include areas in plain view as well as rooms, closets, desks or bureau drawers. Required to get approval for out-of-town or vacation travel, and to travel with another person approved by the program managers. Required to move to a residence approved by the archbishop. Forbidden to own or possess a computer unless otherwise authorized and may also be prohibited from using any computer outside of his residence. Participants in the program must allow the program coordinator to check computers for "forbidden activities, e.g., unauthorized chat rooms, forbidden Web sites, etc." Forbidden "to own or possess any indecent or pornographic material, e.g. magazines, periodicals, movies, books, etc." Required to maintain a daily mileage log indicating start and finish mileage as well as destination. The log and odometer of the car will be inspected regularly. ___________________________________________________________________________________ The new policy, which was mailed to clergy members starting last week, appears to be the only one of its kind in the country. The policy covers more than 400 priests and 150 deacons. As the archdiocese deems necessary, clerics will have to sign a form agreeing to the searches and other restrictions, according to the policy documents. "Failure to comply with the restrictions could cause a reduction in salary and/or benefits provided to the member by the Archdiocese of Milwaukee," the documents state. "We have not heard about these unannounced visits in other dioceses," said William Ryan, a spokesman for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, who was given copies of the new policy by a reporter this week. Dolan is chairman of that group's Committee on Priestly Life and Ministry. "No one else has anything like this as far as I can tell," said Father Robert Silva, president of the National Federation of Priests' Councils. Those groups advise their respective archbishops on issues of concern. Dolan had a busy schedule and was unavailable for comment Thursday, according to Jerry Topczewski, chief of staff for the archdiocese. Before this policy, he said, priests with problematic behaviors were monitored. "This is much more formalized and much more detailed," Topczewski said. "Many priests will now say, 'Thank God, because now we know exactly what's going on.' "The message is he, as a bishop, has a responsibility to make sure people are held accountable for their behavior." Several priests in the archdiocese described themselves in interviews this week as upset and livid and said they were struggling to make sense of the documents. "We are very much aware of the outcry that this has provoked among the priests of the diocese," said an e-mail sent Wednesday to all members of the Milwaukee Archdiocese Priests Alliance, which was formed in 2003 as a support network and independent voice for priests. "We are currently carrying on an e-mail discussion" with fellow priests. The e-mail said that priests generally were surprised by the new policy, including the Executive Committee of the Council of Priests, which advises the archbishop. Several members of the priests' alliance declined to publicly comment about the policy, saying they feared disciplinary action. Some local advocacy groups that had pushed for tighter monitoring of pedophile priests said they were stunned that the new policy included clergy not involved with children. "My initial reaction is that this is the Patriot Act of the Milwaukee archdiocese," said Terry Ryan, founder and past president of the local chapter of Voice of the Faithful, a national group formed in response to the clergy sexual abuse crisis. Al Szews, president of the local chapter of Catholics United for the Faith, a national group that promotes traditional church teachings, said the new monitoring policy was "absolutely the way to go." "Ultimately the archdiocese is being held responsible for the action of the members," Szews said. "If you have some help to keep you on the straight and narrow, you should welcome that." In a secret payment that was revealed in 2002, the archdiocese paid $450,000 to buy the silence of a man who had accused former Milwaukee Archbishop Rembert G. Weakland of sexually assaulting him when he was a graduate student. Peter Isely, Midwest director for the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, said he was not surprised that the monitoring policies were expanded to all clergy. "There is a neo-orthodox faction among the bishops," Isely said. "They are sending a message: 'We are going to clamp down and make this a disciplined, obedient group.' " He added that while he welcomed the increased monitoring of pedophile priests, he continued to be skeptical because the documents make no mention about public accountability or any independent oversight. "The bishop has all the power in these documents," he said. Public naming to continue Topczewski said the archdiocese will continue to make public the name of clergy members with substantiated sexual abuse charges involving minors. The policies were sent out in a routine annual mailing about other unrelated matters, sources said. Some priests had tossed the mailing aside, assuming it was not important, until a reporter called asking for comment. "This came out of the blue," said one priest, who asked not to be identified. "We were not consulted. It treats all adult men like pedophiles. It came out of nowhere." Topczewski said that these changes were considered a policy matter and did not have to be discussed with clergy prior to implementation. The documents make no mention of bishops or others in the church hierarchy. Topczewski said he not know if the policies applied to them or not. Former police officer in charge Deacon David L. Zimprich, who is a former Milwaukee police officer, will be in charge of the "day-to-day management and operations of the initiative," the policy memo says. Zimprich will meet with the Archdiocesan Council of Priests on April 21 to explain the changes, said Kathleen Hohl, communications director for the archdiocese. He will personally be in charge of all monitoring, she said. "The intent of these programs is to help clergy lead a holy, virtuous and appropriate lifestyle to which they have made a commitment," she said. The monitoring protocols, she said, are modeled after those used in the criminal justice system for sex offenders on probation or parole, she said. Copies of the policy documents were obtained by the Journal Sentinel. One of the documents, titled "Clergy Advocacy and Monitoring Program," specifically deals with monitoring priests involved in sexual misconduct with minors. A second document, called the "Clerical Support Initiative," deals with consensual adult sexual relationships "as well as those that were misunderstood as consensual" and "includes priests, or single deacons that are living in a 'married state' with one or more partners of either sex after having professed a vow of celibacy." Married deacons involved in extramarital affairs are included in the monitoring provisions. Another category of clerics who may be subjected to monitoring by the archdiocese includes those who have been arrested for disorderly conduct or lewd and lascivious behavior, and those who "suffer from addictions such as alcohol and/or drug related, gambling or sexual compulsion," or psychological illness. Also included is "any other act or illness involving a cleric that is deemed inappropriate by the archbishop" or his designee. The priest or deacon may be required to seek medical or psychological treatment before being placed in the monitoring program, the records state. 'Not to be seen as punitive' "The restrictions are not to be seen as punitive in nature," the document states. "Rather they are designed to support the individual in his desire to live according to the example of Jesus Christ, the gospels, the teaching of the Church and the demands of his vocation." The list of "potential restrictions" for all of the listed categories is identical for clergy involved in sexual misconduct with children and clergy who fall into the other categories. Topczewski said restrictions will be tailored to fit the circumstances of each person and not all of them will apply to everyone. "The archbishop retains the right to review, add to, or remove any of the restrictions . . . at any time he deems necessary," the documents state.