Reflecting on the bishop’s Advisory Board

By Jim Byrne
Catholic Herald
April 30, 2014

http://catholicherald.com/stories/Reflecting-on-the-bishops-Advisory-Board,26097

A decade ago, bishops across the United States set about implementing the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. It was a watershed moment in the clergy abuse scandals rocking our church. At the time, as Catholic parents ourselves, my wife and I had grave concerns, and our pastor challenged me to participate in helping to make the changes required by this charter.

The USCCB Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People was drafted in Dallas in 2002. With it, an institutional amends began. Few of my fellow Catholics seem to comprehend its impact. To date, 194 dioceses/eparchies in the United States have made radical changes. More than 2 million adults are now trained to recognize potentially abusive behavior and to respond in keeping with civil and canon law. The U.S. church now has a background check process more stringent than most school systems, having checked more than 2.3 million volunteers, employees, candidates for ordination and clerics — anyone who has substantial contact with children under the aegis of the church. Many other related programs have been established, each requiring extensive fact-finding, research and counsel for our bishops. I have been honored, with others, to participate in that process in our diocese.

One critical step under the charter established in each diocese a review board to advise their bishop on matters pertaining to the charter. This step was seen as historic. It opened a dialog between bishops and laity at a new level, helping energize the church at every level. It also helped bishops break through the insular thinking that led to deleterious decisions with regard to sexual predators ordained or otherwise working in some dioceses.

In 2003, with the close support and help of Oblate Father Mark Mealey, vicar general, Bishop Paul S. Loverde created Arlington’s Diocesan Review Board. He tasked this board to review allegations of sexual misconduct. For other duties required by the “essential norms,” however, the bishop created a separate diocesan Advisory Board. Our task was to launch diverse programs ranging from an equitable system of background checks, to broad-scale training, to victim outreach and care. While the norms required each diocese to have only a review board tasked with all these responsibilities, our bishop was one of only a few who chose to split responsibilities. Doing so, he multiplied the impact of lay people, sisters and priests in helping the church change and move forward.

The Arlington Advisory Board has created models respected and copied by other dioceses, both nationally and internationally over the past decade. Our programs excelled simply because our bishop wanted our children safe; we had his support, and he followed the norms to the letter and in spirit. The charter has made great (not perfect) strides bringing systemic prevention and education to bear, strengthening our procedures and reducing risk to our children and young people. Work remains to be done, of course.

With all the progress reported by the Advisory Board in Arlington over the past 10 years, our work is now at an end. Mature programs exist. They have dedicated staff and strong infrastructure. For this reason, I confidently support Bishop Loverde’s decision to transfer responsibility for these programs to the Diocesan Review Board. This reflects the structure in the charter, and it keeps governance as streamlined as possible. To that end, effective at the beginning of this year, Bishop Loverde, dissolved the Advisory Board with a note of gratitude for its members’ dedicated efforts to promote child safety in our church.

As chairman of the Advisory Board this past decade, it has been my honor to participate in the board comprised of outstanding Catholic lay and religious whom I would not have otherwise known. We are professionals from all walks of life, including from medical and psychological practices, law enforcement, military, religious, education, compliance and administration, as well as parents and a victim/survivor. We have been early participants in the dialog between laity and our bishop about protecting children. Bishop Loverde welcomed our many different ideas and debates. He created a dialog of openness and regard, with shared commitment to transparency and accountability at all levels of our church.

I would like to encourage my fellow Catholics to take time to seek accurate and full information about the progress made under the USCCB Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. Look beyond the common media caricatures. Find out how far we as a church have come.

I closed my work as chairman of the Advisory Board as I began — prayerfully. I pray, for the safety and happiness of my family and yours, and for our priests, sisters and other religious who serve our communities. I pray that our pews will be filled with motivated fellow Catholics finding creative ways to donate gifts of time, talent and treasure to the work of our church, for there is much to be done. I pray, too, that the work of the Advisory Board and, now, the Review Board, along with all church leadership, thrives in good works using these gifts humbly and well, embracing programs for child protection, transparency and accountability.

Byrne is former chairman of the bishop’s Advisory Board.