BishopAccountability.org
	Sex Abuse Reporting More Aggressive by Roman Catholic Diocese By Craig Smith Pittsburgh Tribune-review October 7, 2011 http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/pittsburgh/s_760638.html A more aggressive approach to dealing with accusations of sexual abuse has led to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh's reporting dozens of valid cases to authorities. The diocese on Thursday would not say how many complaints it received since the Catholic Church changed policies in 2002, prompted by lawsuits claiming sexual abuse by priests. A spokesman said most of the allegations were true, though. "We've determined that 5 percent to 7 percent of the complaints are not credible," said the Rev. Ron Lengwin, diocesan spokesman. Bishop David A. Zubik this week said he turned over to authorities an accusation -- which he denied -- from a 45-year-old Aliquippa man that Zubik forcibly tried to kiss him in the 1980s when he was a student at Quigley Catholic High School in Baden. Zubik, 62, who worked at Quigley between 1980 and 1987, called the accusation "false, offensive and outrageous." The church continues to respond to allegations that its priests abused people decades ago. Nationally, more than 680 people who say they were abused in the past came forward last year for the first time and made allegations against 574 Catholic priests and eight deacons. In addition, 30 minors made new allegations, according to compliance audits made to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. BishopAccountability.org, a Massachusetts nonprofit dedicated to compiling a database of publicly accused priests, lists complaints against 31 priests in the Pittsburgh diocese in the past nine years. The diocese, which serves 700,000 Catholics, would not confirm the numbers. The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests said the Pittsburgh numbers seem low. "Relative to their size, the numbers appear lower than the norm," said David Clohessy, director of the group. The Greensburg diocese received complaints against nine priests, five of whom were deceased by the time the complaints were made, said spokesman Jerry Zufelt. Officials sent all of the cases to the Diocesan Review Board, a panel of lay people and a priest who review the cases. Since the 1980s, both dioceses have had polices for responding to sexual abuse allegations. Revised in the mid-1990s, they were again revised in response to changes in universal norms and the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People adopted by the bishops conference in 2002. That charter, revised in June, stipulates that reports of abuse are to be reported to appropriate civil authorities. Dioceses also must maintain "safe environment" programs in accordance with Catholic moral principles and conduct background checks of staff, including priests and deacons. Zubik said he followed diocesan policy and turned the matter over to authorities. He informed the Apostolic Nunciature of the Holy See to the United States during a meeting last month in Washington. Information from that meeting was sent to the Vatican and has been turned over to the Diocesan Review Board. The Beaver County District Attorney also investigated and said the claim against Zubik had no merit. In an April report, auditors hired by the bishops group to examine child safety in Catholic dioceses each year warned of a drift away from parts of the church's 9-year-old abuse prevention plan. The most common problems included allowing clergy who had been barred from ministry to lead public prayers and downsizing child safety offices, partly because of the recession. Read more: Sex abuse reporting more aggressive by Roman Catholic Diocese - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/pittsburgh/s_760638.html#ixzz1a6RkaQfQ
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.