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	Davenport Diocese Plans to Launch Reform Campaign By Erin Jordan Des Moines Register February 1, 2008 http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080201/NEWS02/802010393/1001/RSS01 The Roman Catholic Diocese of Davenport is prepared to launch an unprecedented campaign of reform and restitution to sexual abuse victims as part of a bankruptcy settlement plan filed Thursday. Victims' advocates say the nonmonetary commitments - which include apology letters from Bishop Martin Amos and an online listing of all abusers - may be even more important to some victims than the $37 million settlement to be disbursed to 156 claimants. "I can't tell you how many victims have told me that all they wanted was an apology," said David Clohessy, national director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. "Victims go to court only when they see nothing else will force the bishop to reform." The Joint Consensual Plan of Reorganization, filed Thursday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court, lists 18 nonmonetary steps the diocese would take as part of the settlement. They include: - The diocese will post on its Web site for nine years the names of all known perpetrators. - Within one year, Amos will visit all parishes where abuse occurred and publicly identify perpetrators. - Parishes will allow claimants to speak in the parishes where they were abused. - Diocese officials will stop referring to claimants as "alleged" victims or survivors. - Amos will write a letter to the Vatican's U.S. Embassy asking for "appropriate action" for retired Sioux City Bishop Lawrence Soens, who has been accused of improper contact with boys while he was principal of a high school in Davenport. Craig Levien, attorney for the claimants, said the last step, which would require Amos to write a letter recommending Soens be defrocked, is particularly significant to the 30 people who said they were abused by Soens. Soens has never faced formal discipline because of his position as a bishop. The plan also outlines the method of disbursement of the $37 million settlement. Claimants can choose a "convenience" claim that gives them $10,000 without having to discuss their claim with an arbitrator. They can file a "matrix" claim, in which the arbitrator awards compensation based on a formula that evaluates significance and effect of abuse. Claimants who want to pursue a lawsuit can opt out of the settlement, but then must take their chances in court, Levien said. He does not see this option as being popular because it is slower and less certain. The diocese would set aside $1.5 million for future claims to be filed within 10 years, according to the plan. The diocese also announced Thursday that four southeastern Iowa parishes would contribute money toward the settlement. The parishes, which will not be named until their leaders tell members about the donations, had the most serious claims of clergy abuse and stood to lose the most if the diocese had not reached a settlement, church leaders said. "Those entities having grave claims could have lost their entire savings if a global settlement had not been reached," said Monsignor John Hyland, the diocese's vicar general. At least one priest said his parish has suffered enough. "They paid the price of having Janssen in the parish and they need their healing," said the Rev. David Brownfield, who presides over the 175-family parish of Saints Philip & James Catholic Church in Grand Mound. The church still feels the effects of abuse perpetrated by James Janssen, who served at the parish from 1980 to 1990, Brownfield said. Janssen, 86, was defrocked in 2004 for allegations of sexual abuse. He was recently ordered to spend 180 days in jail for failing to produce savings bonds owed to his nephew as part of a 2005 sex abuse lawsuit. The Grand Mound church is not among the parishes asked to contribute to the settlement, Brownfield said. The four parishes and the St. Vincent Home Corporation, a diocese-affiliated organization, will contribute a combined $5.9 million to the $37 million settlement. The diocese's insurance company, Travelers Insurance, will pay $19.5 million. Nearly $4 million will come from the diocese turning over its headquarters, the St. Vincent Center, to creditors. The diocese is still considering options for raising the additional $7.7 million toward the settlement. Reporter Erin Jordan can be reached at (319) 351-6527 or ejordan@dmreg.com
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