BishopAccountability.org
	New Appeals Process in Child Protection System Total Catholic June 13, 2008 http://www.totalcatholic.com/tc/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=53: new-appeals-process-in-child-protection-system-&catid=14:uk-and-ireland&Itemid=34 Priests who say they have been wrongly accused of child abuse will be allowed a right of appeal against any alleged mistreatment by their bishops. The Catholic Church in England and Wales will introduce review panels in September to examine complaints made by priests who insist they are innocent but say they have been sacrificed to save their superiors. The measure was announced at a June 12 press conference in London. It was recommended after a review of child protection procedures last year. Bill Kilgallon, chairman of the National Catholic Safeguarding Commission, which oversees child protection for the Catholic Church in England and Wales, said it was felt widely that "another step in the process would improve the justice of it to all parties." "We want to feel that the systems dealing with abuse are (as) robust as possible," he said. "We want a system that is thorough in investigations and fair to all parties." Priests who have grievances against the way their cases have been handled by their bishops only have been able to complain directly to the pope. The new panels will consist of child protection professionals, canon lawyers and other specialists. They will examine how priests should be treated on the "balance of probability" that they are guilty or innocent of any wrongdoing after the statutory authorities and the Church have ruled on their cases. Any party directly involved in a complaint - the priest, the alleged victim or the bishop -could apply for a panel to revisit a case. The move is partly a concession to the growing number of priests who believe new child protection measures are loaded unjustly against them. Many believe the procedures brought in six years ago after several high-profile clerical abuse cases treat them as if they are guilty as soon as an accusation has been received. Often they are immediately evicted from their homes and if the police later find there is no case to answer, they can spend years unable to practice their ministry while undergoing a series of psychological risk assessments. Last year the first five-year review of the church's children protection procedures concluded that the "persistent and tenacious" fear of malicious allegations among the clergy required attention. "Addressing this concern through the introduction of a transparent and fair process that complies with canon law and with natural justice and which deals with the accused with respect is a matter of some urgency if priests are not to shun working with children and young people altogether as a way of protecting themselves," said the report by the Cumberlege Commission which was titled "Safeguarding With Confidence." Figures released on June 12 by the Catholic Office for the Protection of Children and Vulnerable Adults said that in 2007 police investigated 46 allegations of sexual, physical and emotional abuse against priests, religious and lay volunteers, which resulted in one criminal conviction. Thirty-three allegations - about 72 per cent of the total - resulted in no further action by police, while seven are still under investigation. One case is waiting to go to trial. The figures generally are consistent with the number of allegations against the 12,000 Catholic priests and religious of England and Wales in 2006.
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