Diocese committed to healing, prevention

By Kevin Sweeney
Journal
June 5, 2016

http://www.nujournal.com/page/content.detail/id/582041/Diocese-committed-to-healing--prevention.html?nav=5009

The Journal Editor's note: This is the fourth in a series of articles on the issue of sexual abuse of minors by priests in the Diocese of New Ulm.

NEW ULM - For 15 years, Msgr. Douglas Grams has been the Diocese of New Ulm's point man on the issue of sexual abuse by clerics. As Vicar General of the New Ulm Diocese, he is also a member of the Diocesan Review Board for Sexual Misconduct.

He has been dealing with the allegations, complaints and civil lawsuits brought by victims of sex abuse who have come forward, especially over the past three years when state law opened a window of opportunity for filing civil complaints long after the normal statute of limitations had expired.

During those three years, the diocese has been named in 98 lawsuits, involving 28 of the diocese's 75 parishes and 15 priests of the diocese.

The lawsuits claim that the diocese knew, or should have known, about the activities of its own priests, that they allowed them to have access to children, putting children at risk, and allowed abusive priests to continue abusing by moving them to other posts.

The New Ulm Diocese is not alone. Archdioceses and dioceses across the country, and in other countries, have been facing similar suits, leading many to question whether the Catholic Church has been more interested in protecting itself and its reputation.

"The bigger question would be that sexual abuse is an uncomfortable issue," said Grams. "Especially the sexual abuse of a minor is such a tragedy. It could have been that in the past that people didn't know how to respond.

"But today, as as family, when any tragedy occurs our first concern is for anyone who has been hurt, and to make sure that they receive the necessary tools to begin to heal, and that we have policies and procedures in place to prevent, or help to prevent, abuse happening in the future."

Many victims of abuse feel the Church in general and the diocese in particular, have been less than welcoming or cooperative. Attorney Jeff Anderson, whose law firm has specialized in handling abuse claims since the 1980s, said the threat of lawsuits and public announcements of allegations has been the only way to get the church to deal with his clients. The Diocese of New Ulm was the last diocese in the state to release its list of priests who have been credibly charged with sexual abuse of minors. The list was released in March. One victim of abuse said the diocese "brushed me off" when first approached, while the state's statute of limitations was in effect.

Grams said, however, that no one has been brushed off, at least not on his watch.

"I'm not aware of how allegations of sexual misconduct were handled under previous administrations," Grams said. "It certainly has not been the case during my time."

Grams also pointed out that the statute of limitations was not something the Diocese instituted or controlled, it was a part of state law.

"Even if cases were moving toward litigation it was the law that was in place for the statute of limitations that stopped the case from moving forward," said Grams.

The opening of the window through the Child Victims Act has definitely encouraged victims to come forward and tell their stories, and start to seek the healing they need, said Grams.

If the diocese was the last to release its list of credibly accused priests, it was to be sure the list was accurate, said Grams.

"We believe the diocese worked collaboratively with the office of Jeff Anderson & Associates in order to take the necessary time to accurately identify the men who had allegations of sexual abuse, and that we could do that together before we mutually disclosed that information earlier this year," said Grams.

The list of priests released in March is made up mostly of priests who have died or who have long been out of ministry. The church is not assuming, however, that the problem is in the past. The diocese has put in place policies and procedures to deal more effectively with any future occurrences.

The diocese now encourages anyone who has been sexually abused by a priest or anyone in ministry to report it to police, not to the church.

In 2002 the US Council of Catholic Bishops established a comprehensive set of procedures for addressing allegations of sexual abuse of minors by the clergy. The Charter directs dioceses to create a safe environment for children and young people; pursue healing and reconciliation of victims and survivors; make prompt and effective response to allegations; cooperate with civil authorities and discipline offenders.

In addition, all priests and deacons, diocesan staff, parish and Catholic school employees, as well as parish and Catholic school volunteers who have regular or unsupervised interaction with minors, must submit to a to a criminal background check, adhere to a Code of Conduct and participate in sexual abuse awareness and prevention training.

Any priests who are the subject of credible allegations of abuse are now immediately removed from parish ministry, may not perform the sacraments publicly, wear clerical clothing or call themselves "father."

Dealing with the issue and listening to the stories of the victims and survivors has been "humbling," said Grams. And its hard not to feel resentment toward abusive priests and the way they were handled in the past, he said.

"If the policies and procedures we have now had been in place 50 years ago but that's one of those 'if' questions," said Grams. He agreed the church would not be having the level of problems it is having today.

The church continues to encourage those who have been abused to contact the Diocesan Victim Assistance Coordinator, or the Bishop's Delegate in Matters Pertaining to Sexual Misconduct for counseling by private counselors or other assistance in healing. The contact information for this is 1421 6th Street North, New Ulm, MN 56073, phone: 507-233-5313.

Grams said healing for the victims comes from the healing power of the Lord, and that people of prayer should honestly pray for healing.

Moving forward, the Diocese will continue to work with the law firms handling the complaints to come up with an equitable compensation for those who have been hurt while maintaining the mission of the church. The diocese is looking at its options for financial payments, including insurance payments. Among the diocese's options is filing for bankruptcy as other dioceses have, but no decision is imminent on that, Grams said.

The settlements will be costly. The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis has proposed a $65 million fund for creditors under its bankruptcy plan. Grams did not say how much the New Ulm Diocese may have to provide. The diocese does not expect the lawsuits will affect parish or Catholic school operations.