SEATTLE (WA)
The Seattle Times
By Janet I. Tu
Seattle Times staff reporter
Several prominent members of an independent board charged with reviewing cases of Roman Catholic priests accused of sexual abuse sent a scathing letter to Seattle Archbishop Alexander Brunett yesterday, attacking him on several key points.
Among their chief concerns:
• That the archbishop may be misleading the public by suggesting the problem of sexually abusive priests is over.
• That there's no evidence Brunett has put safeguards they recommended in place.
• That Brunett challenged their authority to write a report critical of church policies, that he tried to get them to accept a softened version of the report, and that he published the original version in October only after board members threatened to resign.
The letter also expressed surprise that Brunett was disbanding the case-review board and expressed concern that a new board yet to be formed may not be independent enough. And it criticized Brunett's decision to delay releasing the names of offending priests until after the Vatican had decided their fate.