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PDF versionVatican sex abuse summit: ‘Don’t wait for the media to make us act'
by John L Allen Jr on Feb. 06, 2012
SNAP blasts event as ‘cheap window dressing’
ROME -- Conceding that church officials in various parts of the world often adopted tough policies to fight child abuse only in response to negative media coverage, the Vatican’s top doctrinal official today called for a “more proactive” approach.
In part, that's likely a reference to the fact that while the sexual abuse crisis has already exploded in North America and parts of Europe, it has not yet really arrived elsewhere, including much of the developing world -- where two-thirds of all Catholics today live.
Among other points, American Cardinal William Levada stressed that the sexual abuse of minors is not merely a crime under church law, but also under civil law, and that the church is therefore obliged to report “such crimes to the appropriate authorities.”
Levada spoke this evening to a summit conference on sexual abuse hosted by the Jesuit-run Gregorian University in Rome, and co-sponsored by several Vatican departments. The four-day event is titled “Toward Healing and Renewal.”
As of 2001, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which Levada heads, has been the Vatican’s lead office in responding to the sexual abuse crisis. This week’s symposium was organized in response to a May 2011 directive from Levada’s office giving bishops’ conferences around the world one year to either update their sex abuse policies, or to draft such policies if they don’t presently exist.
Though the Vatican has billed the event as a major step towards recovery, a major U.S.-based victims advocacy group, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, today blasted it as “cheap window dressing.”
SNAP also challenged Levada’s credentials as a reformer, asserting that he “covered up criminal reports of child rape and sexual assault when he was archbishop of San Francisco, California and Portland, Oregon.”
Levada was in Portland from 1986 to 1995, and then San Francisco until his appointment to his Vatican post in 2005. Though he did not engage criticism of his own record in his remarks tonight, in the past he’s acknowledged that his thinking has “evolved,” along with that of the U.S. bishops, in response to what the church has learned over the past decade.
In his address, Levada said that while bishops’ conferences cannot override the authority of individual bishops or religious superiors, such officials are nevertheless obliged to follow the anti-abuse guidelines adopted by bishops’ conferences in their countries.
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“No bishop or major superior may consider himself exempt from such collaboration,” Levada said.
That’s been a point of contention in some parts of the world, where a handful of bishops have refused to accept aspects of the anti-abuse policies adopted by their own conference. In the United States, for instance, the Lincoln, Nebraska, diocese has refused since 2004 to participate in an annual audit of diocesan practices.
Levada also mounted a strong defense of Benedict XVI’s record on the sex abuse scandals, insisting that instead of “attacks by the media,” the pontiff deserves “the gratitude of us all, in the church and outside it,” for his leadership both as a senior Vatican official during the John Paul II years and as pope.
Levada’s 3,600-word speech was the first major presentation at the summit, which brings together some 100 bishops and 30 representatives of religious orders from around the Catholic world, along with a cross-section of child protection experts. The stated aim is to identify best practices in preventing, detecting, and prosecuting abuse, and to make those practices a global standard.
Among nations whose bishops have already issued strong anti-abuse policies, Levada cited Canada and the United States, Brazil, Great Britain, Ireland, France, Belgium, Germany, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.
Yet, Levada noted, bishops in those countries often acted only after damaging revelations by the press.
“In many cases, such response came only in the wake of the revelation of scandalous behavior by priests in the public media,” he said. “What seems useful going forward is a more proactive approach by conferences of bishops throughout the world.”
To help shape such a proactive approach, Levada ticked off five cornerstones contained in a circular letter to bishops’ conferences issued by the doctrinal congregation last May.
Those cornerstones, according to Levada, are:
- Making victims the first consideration: “It was, after all, at the hands of an anointed representative of the church that [victims] suffered this abuse,” Levada said. “No wonder then that they tell us how important it is for them that the church, now again through her anointed representatives, hears them, acknowledges their suffering, and helps them see the face of Christ’s true compassion and love.” The willingness to listen to victims, Levada said, must be matched by “a commitment to offering them necessary spiritual and psychological assistance.”
- Protection of Minors: Levada said such efforts include programs to create a “safe environment” for children in the church, as well as efforts to educate both parents and children about sexual abuse in society at large.
- Formation of Future Priests and Religious: Levada underscored “the need to exercise even greater scrutiny in accepting candidates for the priesthood and religious life, as well as providing … the necessary foundational human formation, including the appropriate formation in human sexuality.” He also called for a more coordinated exchange of information when candidates move from one seminary, diocese, or religious order to another, so that potential abusers don’t fall through the cracks. Given that such transfers are increasingly common across national borders, Levada said, there’s a need for clear guidelines “that will be carefully observed by all.”
- Support of Priests: Among other points, Levada called on bishops to protect the good name of accused priests, and to make “every effort” to rehabilitate the reputation of a priest who has been falsely accused.
- Cooperation with civil authority: Given differences in legal and political situations in various nations, Levada said, the details of how the church interacts with police and prosectuors will differ. Yet the principle, he said, is always the same: “The church has an obligation to cooperate with the requirements of civil law regarding the reporting of such crimes to the appropriate authorities.” That cooperation, however, can’t come at the expense of the seal of the sacrament of confession, “which must remain inviolable”, Levada said.
Levada was still in the United States in 2002 when the American bishops adopted their “zero tolerance” standard, meaning that a priest will be permanently removed from ministry for even one act of sexual abuse. While that standard did not meet with uniform support in the Vatican, Levada said that then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, was an ally.
“I want to express my personal gratitude to Pope Benedict, who as then-prefect was so instrumental in implementing these new norms for the good of the church, and for his support in approving the Essential Norms for the United States,” Levada said.
“The pope has had to suffer attacks by the media over these past years in various parts of the world, when he should receive the gratitude of us all, in the Church and outside it,” he said.
Levada concluded by underscoring the importance of the symposium’s theme.
“It bears repeating that the abusers are a tiny minority of an otherwise faithful, committed clergy,” he said. “Nevertheless, this tiny minority has done great harm to victims, and to the church’s mission of bringing Christ’s love to the world of today.”
He expressed a desire that this week’s gathering will not only help the church mount a more effective response, but that it can also be “a source of expertise and hope for those who seek to eliminate the scourge of sexual abuse of minors from society at large.”
The “Toward Healing and Renewal” symposium continues through Thursday. This afternoon, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican’s Secretary of State, sent a message to participants expressing hope that the event will contribute to building a “vigorous culture of effective safeguarding and victim support.”
"a more proactive approach"
"a more proactive approach" Dare we hope... that protect the guilty,disregard the innocent child victims is no longer church rule #1.
Fuggedaboutit.
Fuggedaboutit.
Leveda is missing a
Leveda is missing a cornerstone: holding bishops accountable.
Until such time as the church acts to hold bishops accountable for their actions -- or inactions -- with regard to abuse in their own diocese, Levada's words remain just words.
Australian Bishop William M. Morris of Toowoomba, Australia was removed quite quickly for questioning the male-only priesthood, proving that bishops can be held accountable when it suits the Vatican to do so. The fact that he was removed while Cardinal Law was given a nice new post in Rome is a loud and clear statement of papal priorities when it comes to holding bishops accountable.
At a minimum, the differences in how Morris and Law were treated calls into question the sincerity of first cornerstone laid down by Levada.
Well said. Even now, Law
Well said. Even now, Law remains in Rome, Finn remains in Kansas City-St. Jo, and Monsignor Lynn Of Philadelphia infamy has faced no Church consequence for his protection of abusing priests.
The abusing priest is not the only official of the Church who abused our trust.
Actually AFT, there seems to
Actually AFT, there seems to be no credible evidence of any of wrong doing by Bishop Finn.
http://www.catholicleague.org/taking-aim-at-bishop-finn/
Levada has his own less than
Levada has his own less than salubrious history in this matter:
http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/people/l/william_...
Wrong Peter, talks between
Wrong Peter, talks between Bishop Morris and the Vatican had gone on for some 11 years, and Bishop Morris wasn't moving from his position. In the end the Pope used his authority to remove Morris.
Yes, if Levada and the
Yes, if Levada and the hierarchy were really serious, they would immediately remove from office a bishop who failed to report abuse. This is how we know this conference is just a show, and a very expensive one.
Do the bishops really need to go to Rome and to listen to Levada say these things. Any ordinary moral person already knows all this.
EMPTY WORDS; EMPTY PEWS
EMPTY WORDS; EMPTY PEWS ..... Poor John Allen!! He once again has to try to put lipstick on the latest papal PR pig.
Even touting Cardinal Levada, who failed a quarter century ago to act on Tom Doyle's plan to honestly face up to the pervasive evidence of priest sexual abuse of children. Levada then left a bankrupt Portland OR diocese to deal with its child abuse mess, to move on to oversee the San Francisco child abuse cover-up operations, before he was called to Rome to oversee worldwide abuse cover-up operations. To date, Levada has even failed to direct bishops clearly to report abuse promptly to the police. Why ?
Levada is joined at the Rome conference by Munich's young Cardinal Marx, who was made Germany's youngest cardinal after giving the pope a pass on the pope's shameful mishandling of an earlier Munich pedophile. It is little comfort that the new papal "child prevention" researh center will be based in Munich.
Catholic Red Riding Hoods and defenseless children and their parents worldwide can take little solace from the hierarchical wolf's new costume, John's valiant spin efforts notwithstanding.
Given the passivity of pew Catholics, the timidity and/or cupidity of most of the Catholic elite and the domination of much of the media by the hierarchy, Catholics apparently will have to wait for the international criminal process to clean up Rome's act. And, as an experienced international lawyer, I have little doubt prosecutors will clean it up, notwithstanding the pope's lawyers' efforts trying to spin John to the contrary.
While Levada dissembles in Rome, Dolan, Chaput, Wuerl, et al., dissemble in the US to try to dump Obama, who has indicated ominously he will utilize Federal law enforcement against child abusers and their protectors, including bishops, e.g., in Kansas City. Under the guise of misrepresenting Obama as an opponent of religious liberty for supporting health insurance coverage of birth control, the bishops are pulling out all stops, including shameful pulpit pleas nationwide, to defeat Obama, the "jailer in chief".
The pope and US bishops want a new, friendlier and malleable "jailer in chief", even if the new one supports policies that would lead to (1) more unplanned pregnancies and related abortions, (2) less help for the needy in order to fund more tax breaks for the wealthy, (3) less cancer screenings for women and (4) even another war with Iran. It appears there is no price too high to protect bishops from possible prosecutuion.
Cantcha give a guy a break?
Cantcha give a guy a break? Poor John's stuck between a rock and that really hard place: toe the party line or join the unemployment line.
Some unsympathetic souls would call him a shill. But, we're too genteel for that, aren't we?
The conference's message is
The conference's message is already clear: The hierarchy "listens" only to obedient servants of unswerving loyalty. Whatever else it may be, this conference is no summit.
Only when our hierarchs see themselves as they really are, warts, wrinkles, faults and sins included, will the church have any hope of change. If they hear only what they want to hear, they've already disregarded the rest.
Not every Catholic is fooled
Not every Catholic is fooled by the "religious freedom" ploy...and the bishops do not speak for those of us who are not fooled. One has to wonder where the furor that the bishops have managed to engender over this issue
was, when the issues were child abuse...or financial malfeasance...
Is one of workshops, How to
Is one of workshops,
How to move millions out of the hands of Victims into untouchable accounts like the cemetery funds by Tim Dolan?
Unless the bishops take
Unless the bishops take responsibility for what they did or didn't do, this will go nowhere.
And we all know that the bishops consider themselves above all law and criticism.
How do we expect a group of men, one who thinks he is actually Christ on earth and the others who are convinced that they are the direct successors of the apostles, to admit they are ever wrong. It just ain't going to happen
And Jesus wept......
Levada testified under oath
Levada testified under oath that he placed a known pedophile in charge of developing policies for the handling of sex abuse in his former diocese. He was not only an enabler of sexual abuse by clergy, he made sure to have an abuser in charge who could have access at the highest level to all happenings. What does that tell us?
What does it also tell us that he was put in charge of the protection of children worldwide as head of the CDF?
Do not believe what he is saying. He is playing out a ruse. This summit is nothing more or less than the latest great evil foisted on the faithful by men who protected abusers - it is just their attempt to whitewash their records. They all must step down immediately, including the clerical psychologists that enabled them.
Men like Mr. Allen should not be giving them the time of day, much less preparing to write the introduction of the book that will come from this summit, much less set the stage for the institutionalization of their game through an academic center.
Friends: One of the
Friends:
One of the weaknesses that I have viewed with sadness in this crisis is the Catholic Church's lack of a peer review process with teeth in it. What if, as a backstop, priests could initiate actions against fellow priests known to be pedophiles, and get the bad priest kicked out by a jury of twelve priestly peers? How about the same for bishops? Here the standard might be like a vote of confidence in a parliamentary democracy. A bishop could be brought up before his national bishops' conference and be retired on a 60% vote of no confidence, with no need to specify wrongdoing. Just some ideas...
Best Wishes, NJ Citizen
Mr. Slevin and Mr MacCrea:
Mr. Slevin and Mr MacCrea: Thank you!
It is so dificult to keep our sanity in such unreasonable times...
Please check:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/feb/06/right-stupidity-spre...
Among nations whose bishops
Among nations whose bishops have already issued strong anti-abuse policies, Levada cited Canada and the United States, Brazil, Great Britain, Ireland, France, Belgium, Germany, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.
Oh well, that makes me feel a lot better seeing as I am in the UK (one of the safe nations) ! I have a problem posting a link but anyone who is interested might like to google paul malpas blog and read the article "are the watchers being abused?" A highly amusing article which I am afraid is factual and very recent.
I knew they would bring up
I knew they would bring up Cardinal "Big George" Pell's Towards Healing process in Australia as a shining example. At one stage there was even talk of introducing it into Ireland.
Towards Healing is a masterful piece of deception that protects the church's interests, strips victims of their legal rights for the minimum possible outlay, re-abuses victims - in many cases driving them to the edge of suicide, and provides a smokescreen that allows Pell to claim he is "doing everything possible" for victims. At least in public.
I know someone who attended a dinner party where Pell was bragging how effective Towards Healing is at getting rid of victims.
And it is all largely operated and funded by the church's insurers. So you can be sure there is no mistreatment too despicable to inflict on already damaged victims if it keeps the balance sheet as black as their callous hearts.
One of the authors of the original document was busy covering up my abuser's decades long crime spree consisting of thousands of child sex crimes against at least 50 (acknowledged) victims. Shifting him interstate, changing his name, hiding him from law enforcement, and bullying victims into silence.
At the very same time as he was drafting this supposedly "anti-abuse" document.
Levada states that the Church
Levada states that the Church must listen to victims. What he does not state, and thus probably doesn't get it, is that probably 90% of children who were sexually abused NEVER come forward.
He also states that only a tiny percent of priests are child molesters. Again, he doesn't get it. As numerous district attorneys have concluded, the crisis in the Catholic Church relates to the COVER-UP!!!
Every victim have a right to remain anonymous, but that doesn't mean they should be ignored. If Levada truly wants to make victims the first consideration, every priest and bishop should reveal all they know about every cover-up. That will help all victims, whether they are known to us or whether they remain anonymous.
And this is just not about bishops. It is about every member of the Roman Catholic clergy, all who seem content in providing cover for their fellow priests, while their victims suffer every day.
I really can't stand the ego
I really can't stand the ego that is constantly displayed by these "holy" men of the Church. I am a survivor, one that works in SNAP & have been indirectly affected by this Laveda charachter. I do like the idea put forth regaring the peer votes, but those of us that know how the cannon law works & the Scarlet Bond & Pious Fraud, know that these ideas will never be entertained by the Church, nor will ever come to pass. Secrets are what keep the Priests & hierarchy comfy& sick & also what gives them their power.....sad but true.
"...American Cardinal William
"...American Cardinal William Levada stressed that the sexual abuse of minors is not merely a crime under church law, but also under civil law, and that the church is therefore obliged to report “such crimes to the appropriate authorities.”
Wow. This is just dawning on him in 2012...?
And what's up with "merely"? Merely a crime under Church law? Heaven help us.
Do these men not get the enormity of the situation, of the actual crime itself? Are they so far removed from "mere" humanity that they cannot wrap their heads around the hideousness of sexual violation of a child? Merely says it all here. Because that's all it ever was, wasn't it, until the media shone the light on the evil that was going on in the dark -- merely a little Church matter, merely a PR problem, merely "just some people".
I honestly have to supress an urge to vomit when I read this kind of stuff.
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