Bishop DiNardo conveys abuse policy
By DANIEL F. DeLONG
Globe editor
Posted June 20, 2002

Armed with a newly approved charter on clergy sexual abuse designed to protect children and young people, Bishop Daniel N. DiNardo says the historic document will be enacted in a clear and comprehensive way in the Diocese of Sioux City.

"I am working on the policy now as though it is going to be approved by the Holy See," Bishop DiNardo said in an interview after returning from his two-day meeting with U.S. bishops in Dallas. "I think it is very important that we confront this crisis and the damage that has been caused because of it."

While the zero-tolerance policy that was approved in Dallas still has to be recognized by the Vatican, the bishop said he is certain that approval will be given.

The diocese already has a review board in place, but the bishop said it will soon be enlarged and its make-up will mostly be from the lay community. He explained that this lay advisory board will meet frequently to closely monitor and advise on any and all accusations made against priests. He will collaborate with review board to address the issues and make the policy clear across the diocese.

Bishop DiNardo said he is reviewing how to best address the issue and make the policy clear to everyone in the diocese.

"I think the policy is a good one. It's workable," Bishop DiNardo said. "It puts in the forefront our children, young people and the victims and the need to reach out to them. That's very important - a critical beginning of the policy that then moves on to what is before us."

He acknowledged that serious mistakes have been made and while words of apology are good, they are insufficient unless they show how the situation will be changed.

While the charter deals extensively with the manner in which abusive priests should be handled, Bishop DiNardo says the faithful need to relaize that the new policy also says a great deal about victim and the attention they need and deserve.

"Our first concern remains the welfare of victims," he explained. "I encourage anyone who has been the victim of an abusive priest of the Diocese of Sioux City to come forward and share that information with us. We express our deep regret and sorrow and we apologize. We are prepared to listen and lend our support as we all work through this terrible ordeal."

Bishop DiNardo added, "The bishops have said that there is no tolerance of an abuser in the priesthood. If there is an allegation - past, present or future - that has been confirmed and adjudicated then that priest can no longer serve in the ministry. Once they are removed, the priest may voluntarily ask for laicization or the bishop himself can request the laicization. This does require a canonical process. It removes them from the clerical state." However, laicization would not happen in every case.

The bishop made it clear that there will be no tolerance in cases that involve priests and children, saying that he will act quickly to remove an erring priest from the clerical state.

Bishop DiNardo said this is the proper first step in protecting children. While he did not speculate on how much longer the issue would last, the bishop conceded that it will probably take months, perhaps even longer.

"The bishops have another meeting in November," he said, adding that the fall session will probably again be dominated by discussions on sexual abuse. "A crisis like this is not solved by one meeting. It needs time and attention. We need to make sure that the issues of accountability are handled with clarity."

Despite the charter's overwhelming support, the bishop said there was "vigorous discussion" during an executive session in Dallas. Some of the voting bishops were not happy with the prospect of removing priests in cases that date back 20 or 30 years where they had received counseling and had no further incidents.

"We simply cannot now, in light of our past experience, do anything but remove a priest completely who has been involved in sexual abuse of children," said the bishop. "We do this to support all of our priests as well."

Bishop DiNardo said he strongly supported the final draft of the zero-tolerance policy. He explained that the charter will bring more transparency into the mix and should help heal wounds and unify the church.

He also said that since returning to Sioux City he noted that the people he has spoken with are concerned about the situation, want decisive action, and still love the church and its priests.

"There are people who have difficulty with our credibility right now, so we have to work as hard as we can to restore that where it has been damaged," said the bishop.

While the clergy sexual abuse scandal is not the first crisis for the Catholic Church, the bishop said this is certainly an "intense challenge" for the church in the United States. Through hard work and God's grace, the bishop believes that they can confront the crisis and help to resolve it.