February 11, 2004
My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
The care of young people is among the Church's most important obligations. For them to suffer harm at the hands of anyone working on behalf of the Church, especially members of the clergy, is a great betrayal. As Pope John Paul II said, "There is no place in the priesthood or religious life for those who would harm the young."
In 1992 the bishops announced the principles which contributed a great deal to preventing future abuse. This Diocese's original Sexual Misconduct Policy was first adopted in 1995, and was subsequently updated and revised upon my arrival in 2000. To promulgate the policy, workshops were delivered throughout the Diocese to ensure that clergy and lay employees were fully briefed on these matters. The last reported case of sexual abuse in this Diocese took piece in the early 1990s.
However, as the last two years showed, the bishops the clergy, and the whole Church had much more to do. That is why in 2002 the bishops developed the "Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People." It is a much more comprehensive framework to put an end to the sexual abuse of minors by clergy and to prevent it in the future to the extent humanly possible by:
promoting the healing and reconciliation with victims/survivors of child sexual abuse of minors
guaranteeing an effective response to allegations of sexual abuse of minors;
ensuring the accountability of the procedures adopted in the "Charter."
protecting the faithful in the future.
The bishops are keeping their work in implementing the "Charter." Our own diocesan policy has been updated to reflect its principles, and appropriate training is now in place for clergy, staff and volunteers. The solid progress being made both here and nationwide was verified by the Gavin Group, which conducted an independent audit of the dioceses The auditors were a team of more than 50 former law enforcement personnel, mostly former FBI agents. The report of this audit was released to the public last January 6th
All the dioceses were found to be compliant with some or all articles of the 'Charter," 90% of them-including the Diocese of Santa Rosa- were found in compliance with all the articles. To combat abuse and promote healing, this Diocese has taken a number of steps in the past two years:
We have appointed a victim assistance coordinator, Julie Sparacio, who can be reached at (707) 566-3308 or by e-mail at Sparacio@sonic.net.
We have established a nine-member Review Board, comprised of persons with expertise in the fields of psychology, social work, and justice, as well as a victim's representative. The members were chosen to provide expert advice on the diocese's overall sex abuse policy and on individual allegations;
We have instituted a safe environment program, which provides the essential safeguard of educating parents, persons with care of children, and the young people themselves in maintaining a secure environment.
We have initiated programs of outreach to victims. I have personally met with all victims who seek such a meeting. We are also open to hearing from victims who have not yet come forward and who wish to do so.
We require careful screening of candidates for holy orders and of Diocesan personnel with regular contact with children.
The Diocese is also committed to responding immediately to allegations of sexual abuse of minors and removing offenders from ministry for an established or admitted act of abuse of a minor.
This is what is happening in our Diocese to fulfill the goals of the "Charter." Next week I will tell you about another important step that the Bishops are taking nationally to make sure that the abuse crisis is being dealt with decisively
Assuring you of my continued prayers, I am your Brother and Servant in the Lord,
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