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	Diocese Needs to Tell the Truth, Do the Right Thing Gallup Independent June 7, 2011 http://www.gallupindependent.com/ Editorial Opinion No one would argue that Bishop James S. Wall has an easy job. What Wall inherited in April 2009 when he was installed as the fourth bishop of the Diocese of Gallup was a sprawling, rural mission diocese that struggles with a dwindling number of priests and a frequently cited shortage of revenue. Wall also inherited the terrible legacy — and daunting legal claims — related to at least 16 clergy sex abusers. And he inherited a number of allegations of sexual misconduct and boundary issues against another group of clergy, most of whom are still in ministry. But Wall also inherited the important Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People and its accompanying Essential Norms, written and adopted by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in 2002. Although the Charter and the Norms are not perfect documents, their provisions do offer an ethical approach to dealing with the painful legacy of clergy sex abuse. The key, however, is for church officials to actually follow the provisions of the Charter and the Norms, not just give them lip service. A recent report published by the U.S. bishops states, “When Church leaders are open about diocesan/eparchial policies, procedures, codes of conduct, and all that the dioceses/eparchies are doing to respond to allegations of sexual abuse, trust is rebuilt. Dioceses/eparchies have little to lose and much credibility to gain by reporting all cases as openly as possible.” Lack of credibility is a critical issue in the Diocese of Gallup: Wall and his chancery officials claim they are in compliance with the Charter, but they provide no public accountability for their action or inaction. For the Gallup Diocese to authentically be in compliance, Wall needs to start following the Charter by making these radical changes: • Publicly announce the promised results of the 2009 exhaustive review of the diocese’s 400-plus personnel files. • Post on the diocesan website the promised list of all credibly accused abusive priests and their past assignments. • Respond to the phone calls, emails, and letters of all sex abuse victims and their families. • Offer an annual Mass of Reconciliation for sex abuse victims and their families. • Stop making confidential, out-of-court settlement agreements with sex abuse victims. Instead, protect the victims’ confidentiality but still publicize their credible allegations. • Publicly announce each year how many credible sex abuse allegations the diocese has received, how many settlement agreements it has made, how much settlement money it has paid to victims, and how much money it has spent on legal fees for diocesan attorneys. • Make the Gallup Diocesan Review Board on Juvenile Sexual Abuse function properly by replacing the members whose terms have expired, replacing inactive members, requiring the board to meet regularly, and having the bishop actually meet and consult with the board. • Update the diocese’s 1993 Policy on Sexual Misconduct and/or Abuse, which was supposed to be updated to conform to the Charter. • Post on the diocesan website the full audit reports of all of the Gallup diocese’s annual compliance audits. • Begin cooperating with local, state, tribal and federal law enforcement authorities regarding credible allegations against living abusers. Reduced to its basic principles, the Charter is all about telling the truth and doing the right thing. Wall and his Diocese of Gallup officials need to find the courage to start telling the truth and do the right thing.
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