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	Bishop's First Five Years Not without Turbulence Clergy Sex-Abuse Scandal, School Firings Draw Criticism By Michael Miller Journal Star [Peoria] April 29, 2007 http://www.pjstar.com/stories/042907/TRI_BD20TDCJ.040.php Not all in Bishop Daniel Jenky's first five years in Peoria has been sweetness and light. Jenky arrived in Peoria just as a national church scandal over clergy sex abuse, one of the largest crises U.S. Catholics have ever had to face, was growing in early 2002. Shortly after becoming bishop here, he announced several changes in how accusations of sex abuse would be handled as well as programs to prevent future problems. Within weeks, Jenky had to utilize some of the new policies when what the bishop called "credible allegations" of sex abuse against seven diocesan priests were brought to the diocese. He asked those priests - and more later - to step down from public ministry. One of them, Edward Bush, responded by suing Jenky and the diocese for defamation of character. The Rev. Michael Bliss, a vicar in the diocese, said Jenky has "done well" with the issue of clergy sexual misconduct. "He certainly has implemented the Dallas Charter from the (U.S.) bishops' conference," Bliss said. "There's been all this activity, and while maybe not all the priests agree with everything that's been implemented, I think generally speaking he's done well with it. We're through the worst of it." But John Ryan of the grass-roots activist group Voice of the Faithful said Jenky has done a poor job of dealing with victims of sex abuse. "In his five years, he has been a major disappointment in his overall approach to survivors and victims of sexual abuse," Ryan said. While Jenky has apologized to the victims through the media and diocesan statements, "he has not embraced survivors, reached out to them as the (bishops') charter encourages them to do," Ryan said. An official statement from the diocese said that "The bishop has on many occasions met with and apologized to victims of abuse. These individuals have been grateful for the bishop's outreach and concerns." But there have been other unpleasant moments for Jenky. Notre Dame High School students protested the firing of a popular teacher and coach from the Peoria Catholic school. After Cindy Clark was fired in April 2004, her supporters gathered outside the cathedral and Jenky's residence. Chants were used that diocesan officials claimed "crossed the line." In response, Jenky threatened "ecclesiastical censure on those who would insult the faith." Soon after that, another popular Notre Dame coach, Jerry Rashid, was fired over allegedly allowing a person known to have been indicted for child abuse take part in a baseball practice. Jenky's announcement in February 2006 that the old Spalding Gymnasium would be razed to make way for a new diocesan pastoral center drew more sadness than anger, a sharp contrast to the announcement of the Academy of Our Lady-Spalding Institute closure in the late 1980s. That development resulted in a Save Our Spalding campaign in opposition to then-Bishop Edward W. O'Rourke's decision to consolidate Peoria's three Catholic high schools.
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