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This past week, the Catholic bishops of the United States gathered in Washington for our fall meeting. We heard from members of the lay National Review Board about the status of studies that the bishops commissioned following acceptance of the Dallas Charter to review past sexual abuse by members of the clergy and actions that the Catholic Church in America has taken since the sexual abuse crisis first arose almost two years ago. There actually are two elements to this historic report. The first, dubbed the “John Jay study,” will be a historic analysis by academics and legal experts affiliated with John Jay College of Criminal Justice of incidents and allegations of sexual abuse by clergy over the past 50 years. The second, a report by the National Review Board itself, will be based on interviews of about 60 people knowledgeable about the problem of sexual abuse, and is the first step in a larger empirical survey. This report will also offer the board’s own conclusions after a year and a half of work on the issue of sexual abuse in the Church. The National Review Board will release these two studies in late February. We believe that these will be the first-ever key comprehensive studies of any youth-serving organization on this subject. This is important because society in general is plagued by the sin of sexual abuse of children. It touches every aspect of our society. Fortunately, the media has begun to understand this as well and has now begun to report regularly on a wider range of sexual abuse cases involving men and women in all walks of life. We hope that this study will spark a deeper look at these areas as well. This coming January, the Office of Child and Youth Protection will issue the results of its audit of all dioceses in the nation and their implementation of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. The audit report will include information about what each diocese is doing to adhere to the Dallas Charter and what some may still need to do to create the safe environment for children and young people to which all bishops have committed themselves. As you all know, prior to the implementation of the Dallas Charter, Newark had already implemented a number of important steps to create a safe environment. The Archdiocesan Response Team, which we now call the Archdiocesan Review Board, was one of the first lay boards established by a diocese when it was introduced in 1993. We regularly offered and paid for counseling and other support services to victims who felt they could benefit from professional help. Today, that role is strengthened through our Victim’s Assistance Coordinator. And, most important, the archdiocese has removed clergy when allegations were deemed credible. Since the charter, I have recommitted this archdiocese to these steps, strengthening the review board with additional volunteer lay people with law enforcement, legal and clinical experience. Justice Daniel O’Hern, a respected and experienced jurist, consults with both the review board and me to ensure that all appropriate steps are taken to examine every allegation completely. The Archdiocesan Review Board has done exceptional work over the past two years as we have faced this crisis. More important, however, the men and women who have served on this board have continued a long tradition of excellent work over the past ten years in examining and recommending action on individual allegations. They have served this Archdiocese, and you, well and faithfully. I thank them. In this Archdiocese, we have taken great steps to ensure the establishment and promotion of a safe environment. Some 8,000 staff and volunteers in parishes and schools have attended the Protecting God’s Children sexual abuse awareness workshop during this past month, and several thousand more are now completing the training. They join several thousand individuals – including our clergy and seminarians – who had already attended the program over the past two years. It is our goal through this program to give each person who works with children the knowledge and tools necessary to help this local Church of Newark maintain a safe environment. Similarly, as in the other Catholic dioceses of the United States, thousands of individuals who work for or volunteer in parishes and schools are completing background checks. As I have said previously, we believe this necessary process will help signal to potential abusers that everyone in this archdiocese is committed to keeping children safe. In recent months, I have met with victims to offer apology and provide a step toward healing wounds that may never go away. As painful as it is for me to hear their stories and share their anguish, I know theirs is the greater pain. I also know that all of us must continue to help the healing. Through the Charter, the bishops have committed the Catholic Church to openness in dealing with the sin of sexual abuse of minors. The audits and reports from the National Board are part of that. But while these reports will provide overall statistics for the entire country, dioceses have also committed to provide their own individual contributions to the study at the same time. In line with the release of this comprehensive information, we intend to provide the people of the Archdiocese of Newark with the specific information that you should know about abuse of minors by clergy in this archdiocese. It will be painful to read, because every case of abuse is painful. I think, however, that you will see something singular as well. As society’s understanding and awareness of sexual abuse has been raised, and we have become more educated about its causes and context, the Archdiocese of Newark has reacted strongly, consistently and in line with our Gospel values. I pledge to you today that we will continue to do so. It is what Jesus would do.
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