By Times staff
Quad-City Times
January 19, 2003

Five Catholics have been appointed to the Review Board of the Diocese of Davenport and will meet this month for the first time, the diocese has announced.

Bishop William Franklin confirmed the board members in response to the Vatican’s approval last month of the U.S. Bishops’ Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. The charter will become effective in March.

The Diocese of Davenport’s existing sexual misconduct policy contains many of the charter’s requirements. Although it does not call for a standing review board, per se, its provisions do call for an ad hoc committee. It now will be a standing diocesan committee.

The charter specifies that the local diocesan review board will be made up of “at least five people of outstanding integrity and good judgment in full communion with the church.”

The majority of the board members will be lay people who don’t work for the diocese. However, at least one member should be a pastor and one should have expertise in treating the sexual abuse of minors.

“With prayerful thought and time for reflection, God has presented us with generous, faithful people who are willing to serve the church at this critical time and for a special need,” Franklin said in a prepared statement.

The board will function as a confidential, consultative body to the bishop in discharging his responsibilities. The board’s functions may include assessing allegations of sexual abuse and determining whether individuals are suitable for the ministry, reviewing related diocesan policies and offering advice on cases.

The board members are:

Clarence Darrow, a lawyer from Rock Island who formerly served as an Illinois circuit judge, a state legislator and an assistant state’s attorney in Rock Island County. He also was a psychiatric social worker from 1966 to 1971 in group, marital and family counseling, as well as a child abuse investigator/court liaison. Darrow also serves as a board member of Humility of Mary Housing Inc. and is a member of St. Anthony’s Parish in Davenport.

Catherine Fouts is the president of the Diocesan Board of Education and vice president of the Newton School Board. She has served the diocese as a coordinator of religious education and been a catechist for 12 years. She is a member of Sacred Heart Parish in Newton.

Bernard Hardiek is retired from Deere & Co., where he served as the president of the worldwide agricultural equipment division. He is a certified public accountant. He has served on various boards of directors, including those of Moline Lutheran Hospital, Arrowhead Ranch and St. Ambrose University. He is a member of Christ the King Parish in Moline.

Monsignor James Parizek is a promoter of justice for the Diocese of Davenport and pastor of Our Lady of Victory Parish in Davenport. He has served in a variety of positions in the diocese since his ordination in 1972, including assistant chancellor and diocesan judicial vicar, a position in which he oversaw the Diocesan Tribunal from 1981 to 2000.

Chris McCormick Pries is the associate director for research, evaluation and community relations with the Vera French Community Mental Health Center in Davenport. She has been with Vera French since 1975. She serves on the adjunct faculty of the University of Iowa College of Nursing. She is a member of St. John Vianney Parish in Bettendorf.

Franklin has reconfirmed his chancellor, Irene Prior Loftus, as victims-assistance coordinator and as his delegate to work with the Review Board. Loftus has will continue to be the first point of contact for complaints or allegations of sexually abusing minors.