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	Local Parish and Clergy Sex Abuse- What to Do? Yakima Herald Republic October 21, 2006 http://www.yakima-herald.com/page/dis/287312498432531 Catholics and people of good will can work for changes in the Catholic Church that will promote the protection of children. 1. Become informed. Meet with others to read and discuss "A Report on the Crisis in the Catholic Church in the United States" by the National Review Board, a lay board organized by the United States Catholic Conference. This report outlines the causes of this crisis and offers recommendations to correct the problem. 2. Watch for cover-up. Dioceses have acted like the dysfunctional family that hides its secrets. Almost every diocese in the country has been implicated in the moving of priests known by church leaders to be a risk to children. These actions prolonged their abusive behavior (the current revelation of Father Toulouse at Seattle University, a case in point). To merely be informed of the abuse is inadequate; one must also know about historical patterns of hierarchical protection of clerics who were a risk to children. Church officials not only hid the actions of offending clerics, they covered up their own actions and decisions as well. A prime example of cover-up is detailed in the Boston Globe's investigative report on the Archdiocese of Boston, "Betrayal." 3. Get all the facts. Insist on full disclosure of every cleric with a credible allegation of abuse, including facts concerning when the diocese learned of the abuse, what actions were or were not taken, treatment, reassignments, and victims' stories. These facts reveal the full depth of the crisis, expose patterns of cover-up, and can stop the cycle of denial and blame by clerics and laity alike. Furthermore, abuse victims and the community will see that the Church is serious about erring on the side of protecting children, and changing its past patterns of dysfunctional behavior. 4. Meet with victim/survivors of sexual abuse and their families. Invite them to tell their stories. Try to grasp the horror they must have experienced as children. One victim told me she was terrified that the priest would kill her. Another said that her abuser threatened to kill her parents if she spoke out. Try to understand their adult struggles with sanity, and their fears and tensions with confronting the truth of their past. Let them know that they no longer have to suffer in silence. It took my brother over 35 years to speak of his abuse by two men, one who was a priest. 5. Be the watchdog. Since the Boston crisis and the Dallas Charter, institutional behavior has shifted significantly from protecting the offending cleric to protecting children. However, this behavior is inconsistent across the country. In Chicago, police warned church officials in August 2005, of a sexual abuse allegation against a Father McCormick, but didn't do enough to keep him away from children. Five months later, he was arrested for abusing other children in the intervening period. All lay advisory boards for sexual abuse are advisory and not a watchdog committee; no such committee exists! You are the watchdog! If you have direct knowledge of sexual abuse of a child, call the police. If you observe behavior by anyone who crosses the line of appropriateness and raises fears of sexual abuse, call Child Protective Services. Meanwhile, insist that Church leaders submit a public biannual written report on the state of clergy sex abuse in the diocese, including any new lawsuits, allegations of sexual abuse/possession of child pornography, and the ongoing efforts to reach out to victims. Meet with church leaders to discuss these reports. Trust, but verify! 6. Work for legislative change. All criminal and civil statutes of limitations for sexual crimes against children must be removed. Furthermore, clergy must be explicitly designated mandated reporters of sexual and physical abuse of children as are teachers, doctors, daycare providers, and school counselors. In summary, ordinary Catholics and citizens served by Catholic institutions are not powerless to effect changes that will protect children from clergy sex abuse and church cover-up. There are positive steps that can be taken. 1) Get informed about the depth of the problem. 2) Learn what cover-up looks like and watch for it. 3) Insist the history of abuse and cover-up be made public. 4) Meet with victims and their families to listen to their stories. 5) Be the "watchdog"! Trust, but verify. 6) Work for legislative changes making clergy mandated reporters of child abuse and removing the criminal and civil statutes of limitations for sex crimes against children.
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