WORCESTER (MA)
Telegram & Gazette
By Kathleen A. Shaw TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF
kshaw@telegram.com
WORCESTER— The Catholic Diocese of Worcester for a third year has been found to be in compliance with all requirements of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, which was adopted by the American bishops in 2002 in response to the clergy sexual abuse crisis.
The audit was done by self-reporting from the diocese and was overseen by the Gavin Group, a Boston-based company that audits every diocese in the United States. Self-reporting is allowed if the diocese was found compliant the previous two years.
“I am very gratified by the results of the report as well as by the special efforts of diocesan and parish personnel who worked so hard to achieve total compliance again this year,” Bishop Robert J. McManus said in a statement. “Conducting a diocesan audit is a prodigious undertaking and it is reassuring to see our diocese successfully complete the process satisfactorily a third time.”
The bishop credited the efforts of those responsible for coordinating the audit, including Monsignor Thomas J. Sullivan, diocesan chancellor and overall audit coordinator; Sister Paula Kelleher, vicar for religious and coordinator of safe environment training; and Frances Nugent, diocesan Victim Services coordinator. Sister Kelleher and Mrs. Nugent are co-directors of the Office for Healing and Prevention, which was set up as required by the charter.
Bishop McManus said during the past year he wrote letters to all abuse victims known to the diocese. He invited them to meet with him individually so he could listen to their stories of victimization by priests and offer his personal support, healing and guidance. He has since met individually with a number of victims, he said.
The diocese continues to host a quarterly meeting of victim assistance coordinators from the 11 dioceses in New England. George “Skip” Shea of Uxbridge, who settled a lawsuit with the diocese alleging sexual abuse starting at age 11 by the Rev. Thomas H. Teczar and later by Rev. Robert Shauris, said he has sought help from the Office for Healing and Prevention. He said Mrs. Nugent “has made herself completely accessible to me.” He added she helped have the diocese make the co-payment for his therapy.
“That was huge, as it was not part of my settlement.”
He said Mrs. Nugent has been “genuine in her care. There is no pretense. I think the best thing I can say is that there are no judgments from her. I can’t say that for every Catholic, let alone someone who works in the chancery, even when we disagree, which we do on several issues.”
Mr. Shea said he still has problems feeling “safe” in a Catholic environment, but gets “pretty close to it” during his interactions with Mrs. Nugent.
Daniel E. Dick of Worcester, victim support coordinator for Worcester Voice of the Faithful, lauded the Office for Healing efforts, but said he thought the diocese should have taken more seriously his proposal to institute a program of restorative justice. His plan called for victims and abusers to come face-to-face to share their feelings, hurt and sorrow.
“Out of this mutuality, this confrontation, could come healing for both,” he said.
The Office for Healing turned down the program and said the accused priests would never agree to participate. “I found this hard-hearted reaction both alarming and disturbing,” Mr. Dick said.
“This is unfortunate because restorative justice works in prisons, with police departments dealing with juvenile offenders, was used in South Africa with the apartheid victims and their abusers. The apparent difference is that with Catholic clergy who are accused of abuse the bishop or person in authority would not order or require them to enter the program and they would not do so of their own volition,” he said.
“It appears that to agree to such a meeting with a victim is regarded as an outright admission of guilt. Such a meeting between victim and abuser might also reflect on a bishop’s handling of the case.”
Mr. Dick said he is also concerned the diocese has not revealed where accused priests who were removed from ministry are living.
“I feel it only reasonable and responsible that the people of this diocese know where these pedophiles, alleged and convicted, are living, since they are presumably living among us and our children and have a monthly income, a car, and a great deal of freedom to come and go where and as they please,” he said.
If victims of clergy sexual abuse are to truly turn around their lives, they need the support of their entire communities, Mr. Dick said. He believes the Office for Healing is a first step toward helping people, but his experience in working with victims indicates they do best when the rest of the community also becomes supportive.
The diocese reported 44,935 adults and young people in Central Massachusetts have received the required “safe environment” training since the charter was implemented in 2002. More than 4,000 adults, most of whom are parish volunteers, have been trained since September.
Criminal offense background checks have been done on more than 11,000 diocesan clergy, religious and lay professionals and volunteers. The background checks were coordinated through the diocesan Office of Healing and Prevention.
The diocese previously reported to theAbuse Tracker Review Board, which oversees compliance with the charter, that 45 priests of this diocese were credibly accused of sexual abuse between 1950 and 2003.