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March 7, 2005 
VOL.
43, NO. 5Oakland,
CA
WASHINGTON—More than 1,000 people alleged abuse
at the hands of 756 Catholic clergy in 2004, the nation’s Catholic
bishops said Feb. 18.
In addition, officials said various dioceses paid $157.8 million for abuse
settlements, therapy and legal fees last year. Since 1950, the Catholic
Church in the United States has paid at least $840 million to settle abuse
cases. Last year, three dioceses declared bankruptcy, attributing their
financial problems to settlement costs.
The numbers show in sharp detail that victims continue to come forward
to report abuse that, in many cases, occurred decades before. Only 22
of the 1,092 allegations made by 1,083 people involve abuse committed
in 2004. There were nine additional cases of priests tied to child pornography.
“Continued vigilance and dedication to this effort is not a choice,
it is a necessity,” said Kathleen McChesney, the outgoing director
of Office of Child and Youth Protection for the U.S.
Conference of Catholic Bishops. She said all new cases were turned over
to law enforcement.
Combined with numbers released last year, at least 11,750 victims have
made credible allegations against 5,148 priests and deacons between 1950
and 2004. Neither of the two studies included data from 2003, and officials
conceded the figures could fluctuate.
The Oakland Diocese reported that between July 2003 and June 2004 (the
period between the first and second diocesan audit) seven new allegations
were made against three diocesan priests. Two additional allegations were
made against priests from other dioceses serving for a brief period in
the Oakland Diocese.
The three diocesan priests all had previous allegations; one is dead,
another is laicized and the third is out of ministry. The diocese has
been unable to locate the two visiting priests and does not know their
status.
The diocese also received allegations from two people against a priest
in the Santa Rosa Diocese and the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. Those allegations
were reported to ecclesiastical authorities there.
The national figures, released as part of the bishops’ second annual
report on child abuse, found that nearly all — 96 percent—of
dioceses have implemented abuse reforms adopted in 2002 in the Charter
for the Protection of Children and Youth People. Last year, that figure
was 90 percent.
The on-site audits by former FBI agents with the Boston-based Gavin Group
found seven dioceses still have work to do. Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz of
Lincoln, Neb., refused to allow auditors into his diocese.
The cases reported in 2004 followed patterns first spotted last year:
Most of the abuse occurred during a spike between 1965 and 1974.
Victims were overwhelmingly boys between 10 and 14 years old.
Half of the clerics involved had been previously accused of abuse.
Nearly three-quarters (72 percent) of the accused priests were already
dead, laicized or removed from active ministry.
In addition, the report said 46,231 priests and deacons have undergone
criminal background checks that were mandated in the 2002 reforms. Checks
have also been completed on 179,656 teachers, 177,612 church employees
and 769,348 volunteers.
The report said only half of all Catholic children have been trained in
prevention programs designed to help them avoid—or report—abuse.
The report said dioceses spent $20 million in 2004 on “child protection
efforts.”
In a letter accompanying the report, McChesney said, “It is dangerous
to assume that compliance with this Charter is all that is necessary to
prevent abuse, restore confidence in the Church, and bring healing and
hope to those who have been harmed. Much more is required, but nothing
is required that is beyond the ability of those who
live and uphold the tenets of the Catholic faith.”
Most troubling for victims groups was the report’s disclosure that
at least 42 priests or deacons who were accused in 2004 “remain
in active ministry pending a preliminary investigation of an allegation.”
Some 305 priests were temporarily suspended and 148 were permanently removed
from ministry.
The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) said the number
of abusive priests still in ministry is probably much higher, and said
the report violates the bishops’ promises of swift action against
accused priests.
Bishop William Skylstad of Spokane, Wash., president of the U.S. bishops
conference, declined to say whether the Church needs a nationwide policy
that calls for automatic suspension. “I can’t second-guess
the individual decisions of bishops,” he said.
McChesney said some victims “have been frustrated, hurt and sometimes
humiliated by the response of the church.”
In her final report, McChesney said audits on existing programs go only
so far, and urged the bishops to make sure that the handling of allegations
and victims is actually effective.
“Compliance does not measure quality,” she said.
The full text of the audit summary for the Oakland Diocese can be found
at:
http://usccb.org/ocyp/dioceses04/oaklandca.shtml
.
