Fox 4 Asks Diocese about Protocol for Reporting Abuse

Fox 4
September 25, 2014

http://www.jrn.com/fox4now/news/FOX-4-asks-Diocese-about-protocol-for-reporting-abuse-277165931.html

A national organization dedicated to healing the abuse caused by the Catholic church is now weighing in on a case at a Fort Myers parish.

Isabelle and Sisto Romano stand by their reason for leaving St. Francis Xavier Church.

"We had a very good reason to leave," explained Isabelle Romano on Wednesday. "And it was because our son and other children's safety."

They say their son's safety was violated after he was sexually assaulted three years ago by Robert Little. Then a Eucharistic minister. Now a convicted sex offender in a separate case. On Tuesday, the Diocese of Venice denied that the Romano's ever told them about the abuse. The next day, it backpedaled saying the couple did report that their son quote "felt uncomfortable" but that they declined to file a formal complaint.

He felt more than uncomfortable," said Isabelle. "They know the situation. They know what happened. They were told immediately."

This raises questions about the church's protocol for reporting such cases. By e-mail, FOX 4 reached out to the spokesman for the Diocese to find out what constitutes a formal complaint, whether they're written or verbal and how the process works because. The family says they did all they could.

"We laid it all out," said Sisto Romano. "We explained it. It wasn't fun but we explained it!"

But FOX 4's questions went unanswered. In a reply, the Diocese said to refer back to its previous statements.

FOX 4 then stopped by the church rectory for answers but it was closed.

The Survivor's Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) calls the diocese handling of the alleged abuse inexcusable.

"There is no excuse for this kind of delay and deceit," said David Clohessy, the director of SNAP. "None whatsoever. Catholic officials know what to do when abuse reports are made.

The group says there are policies and procedures in place, but it says they never know if and when the Diocese will follow it.

"The sad, simple truth is that in each case a bishop handles it in whatever way is most convenient and safe for him," explained Clohessy.

Again FOX 4 has not heard back from the Diocese about how exactly it handles reports of abuse.