Transparency on Clergy Abuse Is Best Approach for Yakima Diocese
Herald-Republic
For too long in too many dioceses, the identities of Catholic clergy credibly accused of sexual abuse have remained hidden under the hem of a secretive clerical cassock – out of sight to the public at large but forever haunting the lives of victims. This past year, however, extraordinary strides have been made in the Catholic church to bring the truth out of the shadows and hold priests accountable. It is a long overdue reckoning that has reached the highest Diocesan levels — the Vatican, via the crimes of defrocked Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, among others — on down to the smallest local parishes in towns far and near. And, yes, that includes Yakima. The Catholic Diocese of Yakima’s Diocesan Lay Advisory Board this month will consider whether the Diocese should post on its website the names of alleged abusive priests who have served here. The panel, comprised among others, of a psychologist, a member with a background in law enforcement, a physician and a pastor, will make a recommendation to Bishop Joseph Tyson, who is expected to decide soon after Easter. This editorial board sincerely hopes the advisory board and the bishop opt for the light of public disclosure, the cleansing qualities of transparency, over continued secrecy and evasion. It’s fitting that the decision will come around Easter, a time for redemption and resurrection; the church’s reputation surely is in need of both. Catholicism is a forgiving faith, and the awful, criminal deeds of the past need a full airing before any hint of absolution — not to mention possible reparations to victims — can be granted by followers. Many dioceses have recognized the power of coming clean. Figures released by the advocacy group SNAP — Survivors Network for those Abused by Priests — report that about 50 of the 197 dioceses in the United States have published names of accused clergy; more than 20 such releases have occurred in the past six months. The dioceses in Seattle and Spokane have published such lists in recent years. Undoubtedly, posting the names of accused priests, those to whom parishioners entrusted their children, will be painful — painful but necessary. Healing, if it can be achieved at all, comes through acknowledgement and acceptance of responsibility by those at the very top of the order. Granted, it is understandable that Bishop Tyson is concerned that there’s no uniform policy among dioceses as to what qualifies as a “credible” allegation. But given the scores of cases that have come to light just in the past year – most notably, the 300 priests accused of abusing more than 1,000 children over a 70-year period in Pennsylvania – it appears better to err on the side of transparency than holding victims to unreasonably high standards of proof in cases that go back many years. As one member of Yakima’s advisory board, attorney Russ Mazzola, recently told a Herald-Republic reporter, full disclosure “may give victims the courage to come forward.” Should the diocese opt to keep its list of credibly-accused clergy to itself, it would only fuel speculation about the scope of the problem and make emotional wounds fester rather than heal. Plus, the truth has a way of surfacing even without official sanction; in 2016, the Herald-Republic published a list of 17 people affiliated with the diocese who had been accused, dating from the 1940s to the early 2000s and many now deceased. The posting of names has consequences, of course. Civil suits from victims may follow. Since the 1990s, the Yakima Diocese has paid $3.5 million to settle claims of sex abuse among clergy. Late last year, the Seattle Archdiocese made large settlements to six men claiming they were abused by priests assigned to churches and schools on the west side. There is a chance, too, that the church’s reckoning might be more than just financial. Current state law dictates that sex crimes be prosecuted within 10 years when it involves an adult victim. If the crime involves a minor, the offender must be charged before the victim turns 30. Such stringent statutes of limitations have precluded priests facing juries. But in the #metoo era, when people are starting to have a greater understanding of repressed memory and the ways in which a childhood sexual assault can have deleterious lifelong consequences, a movement is afoot in the state to remove the statutes. A bill in the Legislature would add child molestation in the first degree and child rape to the list of offenses without an expiring statute; it passed the House on Wednesday. The bill, of course, would affect all such cases, not just those pertaining to clergy abuse. But passage might send a message to the diocese that abuse is not something the church’s insurance payouts can tidily take care of. Whatever the concerns, the Yakima diocese board and Bishop Tyson need to be thoughtful and deliberative in making their recommendation and decision, respectively. It might be edifying for them to attend that March 17 Mass for victims of abuse to be held at St. Paul Cathedral. Go there and look victims in the eye, listen to their stories — if they feel like sharing — and then the choice of what to do might be a lot easier. • Members of the Yakima Herald-Republic editorial board are Bob Crider and Sam McManis
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