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	Statement on Defrocked Priest Raises New Secrecy Questions for Diocese By Tim Townsend and Angie Leventis St. Louis Post-Dispatch [Belleville IL] April 25, 2007 http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/religion/story/5EF2678C4B7657D8862572C8000EEE94?OpenDocument New questions about secrecy within the Diocese of Belleville arose Tuesday over a statement issued by the bishop on Monday in the case of its first defrocked priest. In the same news release announcing that the Rev. Robert Vonnahmen had been "dismissed from the clerical state" by the Vatican, Bishop Edward Braxton said the diocese has no obligation to make public the Vatican's decisions about local priests whose penalties fall short of being laicized. About a dozen members of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests and their supporters rallied Tuesday in front of the Diocese of Belleville Chancery to call for greater transparency regarding sex abuse in the church. David Clohessy, SNAP's national director, said Braxton's statement is just another example of secrecy on the part of the church hierarchy. In 1993, 15 priests, including Vonnahmen, were removed from ministry by the diocese after credible allegations of sexual abuse of minors were found by an internal investigative committee. The case of Vonnahmen, 76, was one of the first to be resolved by the Vatican. According to Belleville's Child Protection Policy and canon (or church) law, when the bishop decides that abuse allegations against a priest are credible, he must notify the Vatican and "remove the accused from the sacred ministry ... and prohibit public participation in the Most Holy Eucharist pending the outcome of the process." But there are no policies to guide the bishop once the Vatican has rendered its judgment. In his statement, Braxton said that unless the pope declares a priest "dismissed from the clerical state," he has not made public the Vatican's decisions about local priests. "In certain cases concerning Belleville priests (the Vatican) has ruled that the accused priests are not to be dismissed from the clerical state," wrote Braxton. "However, they are to continue in a life of prayer and penance without returning to the active ministry. In these cases, the bishop has personally informed the priests in question without any public statement since the status of the priests in question remains the same." Clohessy said Tuesday he "could not think of another bishop in the country who has taken that stance." He said Catholics have a right to know the Vatican's decisions about priests whose alleged abuse was deemed credible enough by their own bishops to remove them from ministry. Braxton could not be reached for comment. In the wake of the clergy sexual abuse crisis, U.S. bishops agreed to increased transparency. Article seven of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, adopted by the bishops in 2002, says dioceses "are to be open and transparent in communicating with the public about sexual abuse of minors by clergy within the confines of respect for the privacy and the reputation of the individuals involved." The Belleville Diocese's own Child Protection Policy states that "the Diocese will communicate as openly as possible with the members of the media, faith community and general public regarding allegations of child abuse and related issues." Referring to the other Belleville priests removed from ministry in 1993, the Rev. John McEvilly, vicar general of the diocese, said Braxton's statement was an attempt "to forestall questions about the other guys." He said only that it was "a valid question" to ask how the diocese's own policy on transparency squares with Braxton's statement that he would not make public the fates of any accused and removed priest not defrocked by the Vatican. Contact: ttownsend@post-dispatch.com or 314-340-8221 Contact: aleventis@post-dispatch.com or 618-624-2645
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