Kc Diocese Priest Abuse Watchdog Issues 1st Annual Report

20 Pounds of Headlines
August 10, 2012

http://20poundsofheadlines.wordpress.com/2012/08/09/kc-diocese-priest-abuse-watchdog-issues-1st-annual-report/

The Ombudsman for the Kansas City Catholic Diocese says she checked into 79 cases of abuse, or suspected abuse in the Diocese in its first year of her operation, Ombudsman Jenifer Valenti was appointed to the newly created post a year ago by Bishop Robert Finn.

Finn created the position after the Fr. Shawn Ratigan sex abuse scandal rocked the Kansas City Diocese and led to calls for its Bishop Finn to step down. He remain at his post.

“This report shows my commitment to being open and honest”, Valenti told KMBC 9 news.

Valenti’s report says they looked at 20 claims of sexual abuse by priests, diocese employees or church volunteers.

Seven cases were ‘substantiated”, according to the report.

Those seven cases involved five people, said Valenti.. Three of the people are dead, according to the report..

More than half of the 79 claims, 40, were described as ‘referrals”.

She describes “referrals’ as being incidents when suspected abuse was reported to the diocese, but did not involve priests of other church workers of volunteers.

Valenti used the example of a report being made to the diocese because someone suspected a child may be being abused at home. She says those were referred to the Missouri child safety authorities.

The Survivor’s Network for Those Abused by Priests (SNAP), dismissed the report.

“They’re just numbers” said Michael Hunter of the Kansas City SNAP chapter. He believes the diocese should have named the people involved in the seven substantiated claims.

“Catholic parents need to know who to protect their kids from,” Hunter said.

Valenti says when a priest or someone else associated with the diocese is removed because of a credible claim it is announced in a press release.

Some Church critics think all the names should be posted on a website somewhere. They think that would be better than isolated news releases.

The editor of the independent National Catholic Reporter says the Kansas City Diocese report is a good step.

Denis Coday, however, says the diocese here, and in other parts of the Church, are being pushed into transparency. Coday believes it’s a combination of the priest abuse lawsuits the Church is facing and increased public attention.

“The media, lay persons and other organizations have pressured the bishops to make these advances,”Coday said.

“The changes we’ve seen here would not have happened without that pressure.”