Review board advises on pastoral response

By RENEE WEBB, Globe editor
July 24, 2003

More than a year ago, through the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People that was adopted by U.S. bishops in Dallas, all dioceses were required to have mechanisms in place to respond promptly and in a pastoral way to credible allegations of child sexual abuse by clergy.

One way this was to happen was through review boards.

While the Diocese of Sioux City has had a review board in place to assess such allegations since 1992, in accord with the Dallas Charter of June 2002 the board was renewed and its membership makeup evolved from consisting of mainly clergy to a majority of lay people.

"Our review board was able to be organized within weeks of Dallas last July," said Bishop Daniel N. DiNardo. "They have been meeting regularly and have been doing exemplary work advising me on issues of sexual abuse."

The bishop pointed out that when he came to the diocese there was already an established tradition of lay involvement on diocesan boards such as the corporate board, pension board and pastoral council, so when greater lay involvement was requested by the charter it was readily accepted.

Members of the review board are Martha Burchard of Sioux City, Gretchen Cooney of Holstein, Dr. Tom Henrich of Le Mars, Mark Prosser of Storm Lake, Father Robert Schimmer of Sheldon, Judge Joe Straub of Whittemore, Dr. Clayton Toddy of Sioux City and Verna Welte of Sioux City.

According to Henrich, this group reviews allegations of clergy sexual abuse on minors. They have been meeting monthly since July of last year. Meetings usually run about four hours.

Straub, a retired judge and deacon from Whittemore, said, "I think the board is working very well. The professional backgrounds of the board members, especially people who have spent a lifetime in social work and psychological areas, makes it go well."

Straub, who was ordained to the permanent diaconate in 1980, said he believes his main contribution to the board does not come from his position as a retired judge, but more so from his age as the eldest member and the fact that he has a large family and diverse background of experience. The board, he added, has its own legal advice, and he does not offer legal advice.

"The great majority of the people on the board are lay people and that's the way it is supposed to be. The only clerics are Father Schimmer and myself - one priest and one deacon," he noted.

Henrich said the laity consist of a broad spectrum of gender, age and professions from across the diocese.

These individuals are all parishioners of the Diocese of Sioux City, however, none of them are employed by the church. This assures objectivity for the victims and the church.

Members of the review board stress that their main objective is to offer a proper pastoral response to all parties.

"We advise the bishop on how to apply the best pastoral approach in making things right with the victims," said Straub. "We spend about 70 percent of our time dealing with how we can make things right with the victims."

The judge also described it as somewhat of a fact-finding board to determine if the allegations are credible. He noted that the reason less time is spent in this area is because allegations have been made against only a handful of priests of the hundreds that have served in the diocese in the last 50 years.

"Our board is really doing a good job in adhering to the principles of the Dallas charter," he said. "I can tell that the bishop is determined that things will be done right - that this diocese is going to follow the dictates of the charter. Although we are sensitive to the impact it can have on the careers of any cleric who is found guilty of these charges, we feel that for the good of the church and the good of the victims, we have to let the chips fall where they may."

In his work with the review board, Henrich often recalls a comment delivered by his pastor concerning the sexual abuse crisis, "The truth will set you free."

"We need to deal with the problem in an up front, direct manner, not hiding behind anything. In the long run this will get back the trust of the people of the Catholic faith," said Henrich, who is a marriage and family therapist by profession.

He commended Bishop DiNardo for his firm and unwavering commitment to this process.

"The bishop is very proactive. He definitely wants all his parishioners to be safe and comfortable with the priests. He wants people to come forward if there has been any problem," stressed Henrich. "He has been very been receptive and open to dealing with and helping them (the victims) in all the ways he can. I think that is a remarkable quality and speaks very favorably as to the leader of the Diocese of Sioux City."

The bishop has met with some of the victims.

Henrich said he views the policies and procedures established by the task force as an asset to parishioners of the diocese.

"The people of the diocese will have policies and procedures that clearly identify what they need to do if they or someone else has a concern," he said. "Once we get a victims' assistance coordinator hired, there will be someone that they can specifically talk to, and they know exactly how things will be handled and what the church's clear policy is on this issue."

The review board continues to meet on a monthly basis.