At a news conference on Friday, May 4, 2012, Archbishop Charles
Chaput of Philadelphia announced that “the work of
the special team investigating the 26 priests publicly placed on leave by
Cardinal Rigali last year is now largely done.” He recalled that “the 2011
grand jury report challenged the Archdiocese to review certain cases of past
allegations of sexual abuse of minors by clergy as well as some cases involving
violations of the Archdiocese’s Standards of Ministerial Behavior and
Boundaries.”
The 26 cases were examined by “a veteran
Philadelphia child abuse prosecutor, Mrs. Gina Maisto Smith, and a
multi-disciplinary team of recognized experts in the field of child protection,”
whose findings were then studied by the recently expanded Archdiocesan Review
Board.
Archbishop Chaput, who was appointed to Philadelphia
only eight months ago, emphasized the Church’s pastoral concern for the victims
of clergy sexual abuse.
No lesson from the
abuse scandal is more important than the understanding that the people who
suffer most are the victims. Over the years, as part of my ministry as a
bishop, I have met personally with many victims and this humbling experience
has taught me that no words can sufficiently describe the hurt a victim feels.
I have in the past and again today share my deep sadness and again offer a
heartfelt apology on behalf of the Archdiocese to all victims of clergy sexual
abuse.
Of those 26 priests who have been on administrative
leave for more than a year, three have now been found suitable for active
ministry, one has died, and five have been found unfit (but may appeal to Rome). Charges of sexual abuse of a minor were
substantiated in the case of one of the five priests who were judged unsuitable
for active ministry. The substantiated
charges against the other four priests concerned violations of the Standards of
Ministerial Behavior and Boundaries.
The cases of the remaining seventeen priests are
still at some stage of the review process:
clearance by law enforcement (6), internal investigation (2), or examination
by the Archdiocesan Review Board and decision by the Archbishop (9). The results in these cases “will be announced
very soon.”
Archbishop Chaput explained that he could not
provide “considerable detail about these cases” because of the need to balance
“transparency” against “the pain already felt by victims,” which the Church
does not wish to compound. “It’s
important for the victims themselves to control to whom, when, and how
extensively they disclose their accounts, and we support whatever that decision
may be.”
One purpose of the news conference was to describe
“significant changes in our process for investigating sexual abuse allegations
and violations of The Standards of Ministerial Behavior and Boundaries.” The investigative function has been separated
from the Archdiocesan victim assistance program. A separate Office for Investigations, headed
by a former Philadelphia Deputy District Attorney, will ensure immediate
referral to civil law enforcement and thorough investigations that can be part
of the process required by the Church’s canon law.
The identities of the priests whose cases have been
concluded were published in the secular media that same day but were not mentioned
at the news conference, which focused instead on general procedures and
policies. Despite the amount of
bureaucratic detail, Archbishop Chaput never lost sight of the human and
pastoral dimensions of the crisis. Before
turning the podium over to Mrs. Smith, the Archbishop offered “one more
thought”:
Catholics have
struggled with confusion and anger. When a child is harmed, the Church has
failed. When trust is lost, the Church has failed. When the whole community
suffers as a result, the Church has failed. We can’t change the past. But I
pray—and I do believe—that the lessons of the last year have made our Church
humbler, wiser, and a more vigilant guardian of our people’s safety. That is
our commitment today, tomorrow, and permanently.