El Paso Bishop Talks about Response to Sex Abuse Cases
By Maria Cortez Gonzalez
A group that has monitored abuse by Catholic priests is asking newly named El Paso Bishop Mark J. Seitz to disclose what he knows about a Kentucky priest convicted in 2004 of sexually molesting two boys. Seitz, who has counseled victims of abuse by priests, said in an email he was surprised by the demand and said he couldn't talk about it because of the sacred obligation of confidentiality concerning what is said in confession. In an email, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests alleges that Seitz was told about the priest, the Rev. James Hargadon, in 1990 when Seitz was a parish priest. "What did you do when you learned this information? And what did you do with it years later, in and after 2002, when Catholic officials promised to be 'open and transparent' about clergy sex crimes?" the letter stated. Seitz said he didn't recall the accused priest but upon reading a Louisville Courier article - which was mentioned by the network - learned that the victim, John Kaelin, mentioned the abuse during confession many years after the abuse occurred. "As most people, Catholic or not, are aware, statements made by a penitent to a priest in confession can never be released to or discussed with third parties under any context for any reason," Seitz said. "The priest is under a strict obligation not to disclose what he hears during confession." According to the Louisville Courier newspaper article, Kaelin mentioned the abuse to Seitz in 1990 during a confession that was required when he and his second wife were trying to renew their vows in the Catholic Church. In the article, Kaelin said Hargadon molested him as a child in 1974 in a cabin in Rough River Lake, Ky. Representatives from the network said they continually send letters to religious leaders to take a stand against sexual abuse in their institutions. And that as a newly appointed bishop, Seitz is in a position to send a message to his flock. "We think when a new person takes over that people want to say, 'OK, new start, everything's fine' and they let their guard down. We want to remind people to not judge him by his words but by his actions and his actions in the past," said Barbara Dorris, outreach director of the network in St. Louis. Seitz said he personally has worked with and felt the pain of sexual abuse victims. "In my priesthood, I have come to know the terrible pain and the long-term consequences that victims of sexual abuse experience," he said. He also said, "I can assure you that victims of sexual abuse and particularly victims of sexual abuse by Catholic priests or religious (leaders) will always be of great concern to me. I will do anything in my power to assist in their healing, including meeting with them personally." Paul Pfaffenberger, a licensed counselor living in Gilbert, Ariz., said Seitz has a heart for caring for people who have been wounded by the Catholic church. He knows it personally. Seitz counseled his family after his sister was sexually abused as a teenager by another priest in the Diocese of Dallas years ago, he said. His sister was not able to file charges because of the statute of limitations but there was a lawsuit and settlement. "He was very supportive of our family and very helpful in providing us spiritual assistance," he said. "He believed my sister, he believed my family and that was the most important." He added, "I know for sure from personal experience and not just words that he has really given of himself pastorally to my sister and other members of our family to make sure that we were ministered to by the church." Pfaffenberger, who worked for two years as a youth protection advocate for the Catholic Diocese of Phoenix and also led network meetings in Arizona from 2002 to 2006, said he knows that Seitz will always do the right thing by victims. "I'm sure that he will do what's right by survivors. I know that he understands that people can report to the police and go to the church - it's not one or the other. Crimes need to be reported to the police, and if someone wants to turn to the church for healing and reconciliation, they can do that as well," he said. Network officials also ask Seitz to post the names of priests who have been convicted of sexual abuse on the El Paso Catholic Diocese Web site. "It's not groundbreaking. Bishops in about 20 other dioceses have posted names. ...that's something he could do ... to send a strong message," Dorris said. Seitz said the Catholic Church has worked diligently to make parishes safe and to educate people on the scourge of abuse. In 2002, the Bishops Conference established the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, giving every diocese in the United States the responsibility of creating policies for a safe environment with the church for children and youth. As part of this charter, the El Paso Catholic Diocese developed a Safe Environment Program, which is a training program for all diocesan personnel who work with minors, parents, children and youth. The training includes an emphasis on the legal requirement to report suspected abuse to the appropriate authorities, according to the diocese's Website. "One of my highest priorities will be to make sure the Safe Environment Program of this diocese is one of the best in the country," Seitz said. Another of his priorities will be to ensure that any instances of sexual abuse by priests or other religious leaders in the diocese are promptly reported in accordance with Texas law and investigated. Any religious leader or employee of the diocese who is determined to have been engaged in sexual abuse will be removed from his ministry, he said. Seitz said that the anyone who has been a victim of sexual abuse by an employee of the Roman Catholic Church should contact Susan Martinez, at the Victims Assistance Ministry. at 872-8465.
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