BishopAccountability.org
	Albany Diocese Finds Removal a Fit Penance Priests Are Not Allowed to Represent Themselves As Priests after Action By Carol DeMare Albany Times Union September 1, 2006 http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=513 239&category=REGIONOTHER&BCCode=&newsdate=9/1/2006 Albany -- Every Roman Catholic diocese decides how it will handle priests found to have sexually abused children, Albany diocesan spokesman Ken Goldfarb said Thursday. Since the abuse scandal broke four years ago, the Albany Diocese has removed from ministry about 20 priests, meaning they can no longer function as priests, Goldfarb said. Once removed, a priest "may not dress or represent himself as a priest nor can he be alone with children," he said. Each priest is assigned a case worker as a contact person and resource, and must inform the diocese where he is living through his contact person and when he travels outside his residence area, even if it's outside the diocese, Goldfarb said. At the initial stage of removal, a priest is evaluated and given therapy, "but how long that therapy continues is determined on a case by case basis," he said. The removed priest is entitled to receive whatever benefits he has accrued over time, such as pensions and health insurance, he said. None of the removed priests have any non-clerical jobs with the diocese, "but they are certainly able to seek other employment," Goldfarb said. Even though a priest has been removed from ministry, he is still a priest in the eyes of the church. "At any point in time I suppose a priest could decide to leave the priesthood and leave the diocese," Goldfarb said. Should that happen, the priest would be laicized -- or return to a lay state -- and no longer be considered a priest. The option of laicization is also open to Bishop Howard Hubbard should he choose to exercise it. Last year, Hubbard said, "I believe, after reflection and consultation with the misconduct board and my canonical advisers, that the formal and public removal from ministry is sufficient punishment for the priest and adequate protection for the community." Goldfarb said, "There are many, many ways in which a diocese could decide on how they wish to handle these matters." A committee of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has discussed looking into various models for the handling of removed priests, but it's only in the discussion stage, conference spokesman Monsignor Frank Maniscalco said Thursday. The only review currently under way is the major study of the "whole background of causes and context" of the scandal, he said. Carol DeMare can be reached at 454-5431 or by e-mail at cdemare@timesunion.com.
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.