Archdiocese Rolls out New Policy for Protection of Children

By Patti Mengers
Daily Times
November 2, 2012

http://delcotimes.com/articles/2012/11/02/news/doc5093ef47bd2f6566290825.txt

Philadelphia Archbishop Charles Chaput this week announced the Archdiocese of Philadelphia’s latest polices for the protection of children, 20 months after a grand jury investigation blasted archdiocesan officials for their handling of clerical sex abuse cases.

"While recently codified these same policies have actually guided our practices for more than a year. They'll be reviewed on a regular basis and updated as circumstances require,” said Chaput in a prepared statement released Wednesday.

Among the key changes are a separate archdiocesan office of investigations to ensure immediate referral of any complaints to law enforcement officials, codification of steps for thorough screening of priests seeking to minister in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and referral of all complaints against clergy that involve minors to the Archdiocesan Review Board that provides recommendations of suitability for ministry to Chaput after assessing abuse allegatons.

Archdiocesan Review Board Vice Chairman Arnold Gordon, a former Philadelphia Assistant District Attorney, said, “The revised polices and procedures constitute significant evidence of the commitment of the Philadelphia archdiocese to a zero tolerance policy toward sexual abuse of minors.”

However John Salveson, state president of the Foundation to Abolish Child Sex Abuse who said his complaints of abuse by a Long Island priest when he was an adolescent were ignored by church hierarchy, claimed Chaput’s actions are not consistent with his words.

“Just two weeks ago Archbishop Chaput reinstated the Rev. Joseph DiGregorio whose case was prominent in the 2011 grand jury report. Chaput acknowledged the priest had ‘violated church standards for priests' behavior’ but declined to explain the violations. He also said his decision was based in part on the fact that there was only a single accuser, “ said the 56-year-old Radnor resident.

In March 2011, 26 archdiocesan priests were suspended by former Philadelphia archbishop, Cardinal Justin Rigali, after they were mentioned in a Philadelphia grand jury report released in February 2011. At least nine of the suspended priests had Delaware County connections including two pastors and a parochial vicar. Complaints against them were reviewed by a team headed by former Philadelphia Assistant District Attorney Gina Maisto Smith.

Allegations against them range from exceeding acceptable boundaries with language or touching, to sexual assault of minors. All of the cases were first referred to Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams' office, then reviewed by Smith and her multi-disciplinary team of law enforcement and child abuse experts. Chaput has the final word on whether the allegations are substantiated and who gets to return to active ministry.

Fifteen cases have been resolved resulting in eight priests found suitable for ministry and seven found unsuitable. One of those priests, the Rev. Andrew McCormick, was arrested at his parents’ home in Pottstown in July for allegedly sexually assaulting an altar boy in 1997 while serving at a Philadelphia parish. In another case, the priest died before the review could be completed. Nine of the cases have yet to be resolved. Maisto’s team has reviewed more than 400,000 pages of documents and interviewed 244 witnesses in the United States and in foreign countries in an attempt to resolve these cases, according to archdiocesan officials.

The latest to be resolved was that of DiGregorio who Chaput announced in October, was found suitable for ministry. He said although the 72-year-old priest, who was last based at Stella Maris parish in Philadelphia, violated the Standards of Ministerial Behavior and Boundaries more than 40 years ago, there have been no complaints about him since.

“The archbishop's actions tell the true story - the church comes first and the victims come second. That is also why he and the PA Catholic Conference continue to block the reform of PA's archaic statute of limitations laws related to child sex abuse,” said Salveson.

A grand jury investigation launched by former Philadelphia District Attorney Lynne Abraham in 2002 revealed in 2005 that 63 priests allegedly abused children as far back as the 1940s, 43 of them with connections to Delaware County. None could be prosecuted because the Pennsylvania statute of limitations on sexual assault had expired. The statute was expanded in 2006 to age 50 for victims and is now age 30 for the filing of civil suits.

Consequently, a second grand jury investigation on clerical sexual abuse convened by Williams resulted in the arrest of two priests, a former priest and a former male Catholic lay teacher for the alleged sexual abuse of boys, and the arrest of the Rev. Msgr. William Lynn for allegedly endangering the welfare of children because he did not turn known pedophiles over to civil authorities when he was secretary for the clergy. He became the first Catholic Church official in the country charged with and, in June, convicted of such a crime.

The second grand jury report, released Feb. 10, 2011, was the source of the 26 suspended priests who were among 37 mentioned as causes for concern. Chaput said the revised archdiocesan policies to protect children and young people were developed through consultation with county district attorneys' offices and experts in the field of child sexual abuse since the release of the second grand jury report.

"No entity in the United States today, Catholic or otherwise, seeks more earnestly than our archdiocese to prevent the sexual abuse of children. These policies and procedures are a clear indication of that commitment," said Chaput.

But Salveson believes that Chaput continues to protect pedophile priests as evidenced through his refusal to identify accused abusers’ violations and through his efforts to block proposed state legislation that eventually would abolish the age limit for child sex abuse victims to file charges and provide a two-year window during which all statutes of limitations would be removed for civil suits.

“It is profoundly insulting and hurtful to sex abuse victims to hear Chaput mouth words of support while continuing to shelter predators,” said Salveson. “He should be ashamed of himself and right-minded Catholics in Philadelphia should see right through him.”

pmengers@delcotimes.com