The Archdiocese of Philadelphia on Thursday described its contact
with 26 clerics suspended over past allegations of child sex abuse or
misconduct and said it hoped to resolve their cases "over the next
several months."
In a memo sent to more than 500 priests in
the region, two ranking church administrators also announced plans to
prepare for the return or departure of the suspended priests.
"The plan is being developed to ensure the best possible pastoral care
for those parish communities directly affected by the administrative
leave of a priest, regardless of the eventual determination of each
unique case," said the letter from Auxiliary Bishop Daniel
Thomas and
Mgsr. Daniel Sullivan, the archdiocesan vicar for clergy.
The letter was the archdiocese's first substantive update in months on
the suspended priests, many of whom had years of service as pastors or
lived in rectories around the region.
The men were removed
after the arrests in February of four other current and former priests
on sex-abuse and child-endangerment ,charges and a grand jury report
that said church leaders ignored "credible" evidence that some of the 26
had previously sexually abused children or acted inappropriately around
minors.
Local priests - stung by the report and their
leaders' response to it - have taken an unusual step to gain a stronger
voice in church matters.
Last month, scores of Philadelphia
priests agreed to form an independent organization.
The Philadelphia
Priests Association hopes to provide a new voice for area clergy and to
advocate archdiocesan policies "that respect the canonical, civil, and
human rights of a priest," according to its proposed bylaws.
Priests in other dioceses, including Pittsburgh and Chicago, have for
decades maintained independent associations.
The Philadelphia
Archdiocese has a priests' advisory council, but it has been led over
the last 30 years by three influential cardinals.
At the group's last meeting, the Rev. John McNamee, a retired
Philadelphia priest, publicly chided his brethren this year for
"fearful, mute submissiveness" that he thought was an obstacle to
change.
McNamee said the association's leaders were
struggling to define their goals without alienating church leaders.
He
said he told them, "There's no way this isn't going to be perceived as
adversarial."
The Rev. Christopher Walsh, pastor of St.
Raymond of Penafort in Philadelphia and one of the organizers, declined
to discuss the group.
A spokeswoman for the
archdiocese said Thursday that church leaders neither supported nor
opposed the organization and that the update to priests was not sent in
response to the new group's formation.
"We recognize that
there's a hunger for information," said spokeswoman Donna Farrell. "This
is part of the continuing effort to communicate with the priests."
After the grand jury report in February, Cardinal Justin Rigali
initially disputed that any active priests had admitted or proven
allegations against them.
But within weeks, he placed the 26 men on
leave and hired a former sex-crimes prosecutor, Gina Maisto Smith, to
reexamine past allegations against them.
The memo issued
Thursday said that all of her investigations were continuing and that
each priest would get an opportunity to review the accusations and
submit a written statement.
The inquiry is likely to end
"over the next several months," the letter said, with the outcomes
announced in batches of three to five at a time.
The
suspended priests can wear their clerical collars, but are barred from
celebrating Mass, administering sacraments, or returning to their
parishes. Each was also required to vacate his home.
The
suspended clerics are collecting their salaries and benefits. The
archdiocese is also providing housing, a canon lawyer, and counseling if
they want or need it.
According to the letter, fellow
priests have been reaching out "to offer fraternal care, a listening
ear, and to check on their general welfare."
Last
month, archdiocesan officials met with priests in the four suburban
counties and Philadelphia.
After those meetings, officials agreed to
convene "focus groups" of priests to help shape and implement what they
call Parish Restoration Plans for each of the churches affected by the
suspensions.
The meetings included talks on the process that could be
required to reinstate suspended priests to their posts, but that didn't
mean any or all would return.
"We need to plan for all eventualities," Farrell said. "We don't know what the final determinations will be."
Asked how the arrival of Rigali's successor, Archbishop Charles
Chaput, could affect the timetable, Farrell said: "The archdiocese is
committed to the process, as is the archbishop."