Video: SCOBA's Discussion on Sexual Misconduct in the Church, Orthodox Reform [United States], May 21, 2007

Video: SCOBA's Discussion on Sexual Misconduct in the Church

Orthodox Reform [United States]
May 21, 2007

http://orthodoxreform.org/news/scoba-video-2006/

The 2006 SCOBA Bishops Conference that ran October 3-6, 2006 in Chicago, IL included a video taped seminar entitled “Discussion on Sexual Misconduct in the Church.” View this video online at SCOBA’s website.

The presentation on Sexual Abuse and Misconduct by Father Alexander Karlgut informed the hierarchs of the practical aspects of dealing with sexual abuse and misconduct and stressed their ability to lower the risk of misconduct through preventative measures. Also, he said that SCOBA has a unique role to play in coordinating a unified educational approach on sexual abuse and misconduct-workshops in seminaries and for the clergy throughout North America.

SCOBA's Discussion on Sexual Misconduct in the Church

The liability threat is high; Fr. Karlgut gave examples:

The Roman Catholic church in America has spent over $1.5 Billion in sexual misconduct settlements (either out of court or jury awards)
Entire Roman Catholic dioceses have declared bankruptcy over inappropriate handling of this issue

General comments included:

You have to safeguard privacy and confidentiality of victims
We can not afford to engage in denial
You cannot blame the victim …amp;quot; the courts call this ‘re-victimization’
You must take all allegation seriously
You must reach out to victims AND their families (lawyers will ask you “what have you done to help the victims and their families”)

The church’s liability is largely from negligent hiring and negligent supervision. Fr. Karlgut listed some critical measures to govern how we react to reports and preventative measures:

Clergy and lay worker reporting obligations …amp;quot; you must know what your state laws are
Give a cohesive response to allegations
Have adequate record keeping and personnel files
Have a prepared statement …amp;quot; prepared in advance of allegations …amp;quot; from the church when any allegations are made public
Clergy and lay worker screening
- Simple applications
- Reference checks — actually call the references and log your checks
- Criminal records checks