Posted on 03/25/2002 5:29:07 AM PST by Tumbleweed_Connection
My Dear Friends in the Lord,
There can be no doubt: sexual abuse of children is an abomination. It is both immoral and illegal and I will not tolerate it. Be assured, that I will continue to do everything in my power to ensure the safety and security of every child in this Archdiocese. Should any priest sexually abuse a child, he will be removed from pastoral ministry. My heart goes out to any and all victims and their families.
The explosive headlines of the last few weeks have focused everyone's attention on the issue of sexual abuse of minors by a small number of clergy. The overwhelming majority of our good and dedicated priests, who do splendid work day after day, have found their reputations unfairly tarnished by the terrible misdeeds of a few.
Let me be clear. I regard any accusation of sexual abuse with the utmost seriousness. Should the Archdiocese of New York be approached with an allegation, we will make the appropriate report to the proper authorities; if there is reasonable cause to suspect abuse and the victim does not oppose the reporting. I would strongly encourage, however, anyone who has an allegation of sexual abuse to bring it to the proper civil authorities directly and immediately.
It has been and continues to be the policy of the Archdiocese of New York to thoroughly investigate all allegations and to respond appropriately and pastorally to the person making the allegation and to the clergyman as well. The policy states: "Each reported incident will be immediately investigated, with care taken not to interfere with any criminal investigation, and with a high level of Christian care, concern, and confidentiality for the alleged victim, the family of the alleged victim, the person reporting the incident, and the alleged perpetrator.
The policy of the Archdiocese further requires any personnel of the Archdiocese having information concerning sexual abuse to immediately report it. A review of the report shall be undertaken to determine the validity of each claim. If the alleged claim appears substantiated, and after consultation with competent Archdiocesan officials, the alleged perpetrator shall be removed from any function, responsibility or ministry until the matter is resolved. For the person bringing the allegation, and without commenting on the truth of the accusation, medical, psychological and spiritual assistance, and in appropriate instances, economic assistance, may be offered in the spirit of Christian charity.
A March 17th article in a Hartford newspaper, widely reported in the local media, focused on what the writers claimed were mishandled cases of child abuse by clergy during my tenure in the Diocese of Bridgeport. About these cases, the following points need to be made:
First, in every case discussed in the article, the alleged abuse occurred prior to my appointment as Bishop of Bridgeport.
Second, the policy and practice that I established for the Diocese and followed in every instance required that any clergy accused of sexual misconduct with a minor was, after preliminary diocesan investigation, to be sent immediately to one of the most prominent psychiatric institutions in the nation for evaluation. If the conclusions were favorable, he was returned to ministry, in some cases with restrictions, so as to be doubly careful. If they were not favorable, he was not allowed to function as a priest.
Third, in all of the cases, the plaintiffs were already adults represented by attorneys and seeking financial settlements from the Diocese. These cases were well publicized, and a matter of public record at the time. At no time in these discussions did any representative of the Diocese discourage the plaintiffs or their attorneys from contacting civil authorities.
Fourth, inasmuch as they were represented by legal counsel, direct communications between myself and the plaintiffs were precluded.
In closing, it is my intent to keep the people of the Archdiocese informed regarding these matters as the situation warrants. Moreover, I pledge to you that I am totally and unconditionally committed to protecting our children from abuse of any kind. My clergy, who are good and holy men, join me in this. As I said earlier this week, our children are to be protected always, and in this the Archdiocese of New York will be ever vigilant.
Faithfully in Christ,
Edward Cardinal Egan
Archbishop of New York
Perish the thought...
< / sarcasm >
"Later in his career, Fiore observed the tactics of one Monsignor Edward Egan, who once served as an assistant to John Cardinal Cody in Chicago.
Egan, currently Cardinal Archbishop of New York, is surrounded by accusations of clerical abuse against a number of priests. While now expressing willingness to cooperate with authorities, as archbishop of Bridgeport, Conn., Egan, according to a report in the Hartford Courant, sought to deflect responsibility for homosexual activity of certain priests by claiming they were "independent contractors."
Under Cody in Chicago, Egan had been informally known as the Cardinal's "hatchet man," Fiore said. When parents of victims charged molestation and threatened to sue, Egan would warn the parents that the archdiocese was ready to fight them in court.
Fiore also said that he personally knew of many instances where families collapsed due to the strain from such tactics, and family members left the Church in disgust".
Note that he says alleged perpetrators. Some of them are real child molestors, but as with the case of the great day-care scandal, many of these charges are probably false, and many more will certainly be false as the tort lawyers start feeding on the increasing publicity. Even in Boston, many of these cases may have been settled because the lawyers working for the Church said that it would be cheaper than contesting them. As the Cardinal says, innocent priests will be probably be sullied along with the guilty ones.
And, although he has no choice but to report all cases to the civil authorities, Freepers should realize that this risks giving the state much more power over religious organizations. It used to be that religious organizations took care of their own, and punished their own. One result of this whole sad mess is that confidentiality of the clergy is likely to be compromised--for Protestants and Jews as well as Catholics. The balance of power will tilt even further away from Chistians and their churches to the state. But there's really no choice after the bishops failed so dismally to do their jobs.
Isn't this part of the problem -- Eagan et al failing in their responsibility to take action?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.