Philadelphia Cardinal Justin Rigali’s move to place 21 priests on
administrative leave from their clerical assignments last Monday calls into
question whether the system the U.S. bishops set in place in 2002 to
look into allegations of clergy sex abuse has protected children, say
victims' advocates.
The unprecedented step to remove such a large group of priests came
in the wake of a Philadelphia grand jury’s Feb. 10 report that charged
Msgr. William Lynn, who led investigations of abuse allegations for the
archdiocese between the years 1992-2004, with two counts of endangering
the welfare of children.
That report also called for the archdiocese to “review all of the old
allegations against currently active priests and to remove from
ministry all of the priests with credible allegations against them.”
Speaking to NCR Thursday, Terry McKiernan, codirector of BishopAccountability.org,
said the move highlights the fact that the system of diocesan review
boards set in place by the bishops’ “Charter for the Protection of
Children and Young People” has “serious, serious problems.”
“What Philadelphia is doing is, first, reviewing those problems, and,
second, reminding everyone that civil authorities have a role in fixing
those problems,” said McKiernan.
David Clohessy, a founder of the Survivors Network of those Abused by
Priests, also expressed skepticism that Rigali’s move would address the
underlying structural problems which have allowed clergy sex abuse to
continue.
“[The suspensions] do nothing to address the ongoing deceit and
callousness by Philadelphia Catholic officials,” said Clohessy.
“A grand
jury found that the archdiocese misleads victims and endangers kids and
has for years. That requires major reform by secular and religious
authorities.”
Parishes where the priests had been assigned were first informed of
the action at Masses yesterday and are to be told again at Masses this
weekend.
The priests’ placement on leave is not a final determination,
according to a press release issued by the archdiocesan communications
office.
The action follows “an initial examination of files looking at
both the substance of allegations and the process by which those
allegations were reviewed,” the statement said.
In the press release, Rigali emphasized that the move to force the priests into leave was temporary.
“I want to be clear,” he said. “These administrative leaves are
interim measures. They are not in any way final determinations or
judgments.”
The archdiocese has not released a list of the suspended priests, but local media -- like this Philadelphia Inquirer report
-- are running lists of priests who have been suspended.
Named on the
lists are nine pastors, five parochial vicars, three chaplains, one
pastor emeritus, two retired priests and one archdiocesan administrator.
The grand jury report had cited 37 priests as continuing in ministry
in the Philadelphia archdiocese despite credible allegations of sex
abuse against them.
In addition to the 21, the archdiocese’s statement noted, three
priests were placed on administrative leave after the Feb. 10 release of
the report.
Of five other cases that would have been subject to the
same action, one priest was already on leave, two were “incapacitated”
and not in ministry, and two others no longer serve in the archdiocese.
Both of the latter two cases concern religious order priests, and
their religious superiors plus the bishops of the dioceses in which they
reside have been notified, the statement said.
Another eight priests will not be placed on leave, the statement
said.
“The initial independent examination of these cases,” it said,
“found no further investigation is warranted.”
Gina Maisto Smith, the veteran child abuse prosecutor hired by the
archdiocese Feb. 16 to lead the intensive re-examination of all the
cases cited by the grand jury, recommended the actions to Rigali after
completing her initial review.
The cases concerned allegations ranging from child sexual abuse to
other incidents of what the archdiocese terms “boundary issues” --
discussions or behavior by a clergyman that might indicate a pattern
leading to later abuse.
Asked what Rigali’s move might reveal of how sex abuse allegations
are being treated in other dioceses, McKiernan said “we have no reason
to think that Philadelphia is unusual in all this.”
Said McKiernan: “No doubt there are priests who remain in ministry in
other dioceses and no doubt review boards there are doing pretty much
what they did in Philadelphia, which is protect priests in the system
instead of protecting the children.”