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BALTIMORE — A nationwide third-party system for receiving confidential
reports of "certain complaints" against bishops took a step closer to
being implemented during the spring general assembly of the U.S. Conference of
Catholic Bishops.
In a series of three votes June 12, the bishops voted
overwhelmingly to authorize the implementation of a system that would allow
people to make reports through a toll-free telephone number as well as online.
The system, which would be operated by an outside vendor
contracted by the USCCB, would be in place no later than May 31, 2020, under
the proposal accepted by the bishops.
The plan met with widespread support during a 35-minute
discussion on the second day of the spring assembly. The full body of bishops
voted on three separate measures governing the implementation of the system.
Anthony Picarello, USCCB associate general secretary, presented
the proposal to the assembly at the request of Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of
Galveston-Houston, conference president.
Picarello said the reporting system would fall in line with the requirements
of Pope Francis' "motu proprio" "Vos estis lux mundi"
("You are the light of the world"), issued in May. Among its
mandates, the document requires dioceses and eparchies worldwide to establish
"one or more public, stable and easily accessible systems for submission
of reports." It set June 1, 2020, as a deadline.
All reports would be funneled through a central receiving hub,
which would then be responsible for sending allegations to the appropriate
metropolitan, or archbishop, responsible for each diocese in a province and to
the papal nunciature in Washington, Picarello explained. The U.S. has 32
metropolitans.
The metropolitans will be responsible for reporting any
allegation to local law enforcement authorities as the first step toward investigating
a claim.
In response to a question from a bishop, Picarello said reports
of alleged abuse or complaints about how cases are handled by a bishop will
continue to be taken by individual dioceses and eparchies.
Some dioceses already have reporting systems in place. The May 31
deadline was set to allow those systems and each metropolitan to align
procedures to be able to accept the reports from the nationwide hotline,
Picarello said.
Although the deadline for implementation is nearly one year away,
Picarello added, the USCCB hopes the full system can be in place sooner.
"I can assure the Executive Committee along with the
Administrative Committee, we want this thing done as quickly as possible,"
Cardinal DiNardo told the assembly. "But we want to make sure the
metropolitans are in on this, and we can only go as fast as the metropolitans
can go on this."
The first vote concerned putting a nationwide reporting system in
place; it passed 205-16, with three abstentions.
In the second vote, the bishops agreed that the USCCB executive
and administrative committees would develop a more detailed proposal regarding
how the system would operate. It passed 200-21, with two abstentions.
Details and cost estimates would be reviewed in September by the bishops'
Administrative Committee, which includes the officers and the chairmen of the
various conference committees.
The same committee in November — prior to the bishops' fall
general assembly — would then review scripts and other relevant details after
the selection of a vendor. The Executive Committee would continue to oversee
implementation of the program.
The final vote — passing 220-4 with 1 abstention — committed the
bishops to having the reporting system operational by May 31.
The proposal also calls for the online segment to contain a link
that could be posted on any diocesan or eparchial website as well as the USCCB
website.
Bishop Robert D. Conlon of Joliet, Ill., said publicizing the
phone and online reporting system will be key. "The last thing we want is
to be accused of not being transparent of a system we are setting up," he
said.
Cardinal DiNardo said the reporting system as well as follow-up
on how well it is working will be subject to review in three years, as called
for under "Vos estis lux mundi."
Pope Francis' document is a new universal church law that
safeguards members from abuse and holds its leaders accountable. It governs
complaints against clergy or church leaders regarding the sexual abuse of
minors or vulnerable persons.
The Executive Committee presented a proposal for a third-party
reporting system to receive complaints against bishops to the Administrative
Committee in September. After being accepted, the plan was initially among a
series of steps to respond to the ongoing sexual abuse crisis that was to be
voted on during the USCCB's general assembly last fall.
However, those votes were postponed at the request of the Vatican
until after Pope Francis convened a meeting of the presidents of bishops' conferences
around the world to discuss a unified response to the crisis.
Statement from the USCCB
BALTIMORE—The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops have
taken three separate votes that will lead to the establishment of a third-party
reporting system designed to receive confidentially, by phone or online,
reports of possible violations by bishops per Pope Francis’s Vos estis lux
mundi.
The bishops voted overwhelmingly in favor of each of
the elements necessary to establish a third-party reporting system
yesterday.
By a vote of 205 to 16 with 3 abstentions, the General
Assembly voted to authorize the design of a third-party system for receiving
confidentially, by phone or online, reports of possible violations by bishops
of Vos estis lux mundi.
By a vote of 200 to 21 with 2 abstentions, the bishops
voted to authorize the Executive Committee to develop a more detailed proposal
for a third-party reporting system, including financial, structural, and other
necessary adjustments to account for Vos estis lux mundi, for review
and approval by the Conference’s Administrative Committee at its September and
November 2019 meetings.
Additionally, the bishops voted in favor of committing
to activate the third-party reporting system by no later than May 31, 2020 by a
220 to 4 vote with 1 abstention.
Vos estis lux mundi, allows
until May 31, 2020 for the development of local systems to receive such
reports. Accordingly, May 31, 2020 is the earliest date the body can safety
commit to activation of the system without interfering with the varying
schedules of the Metropolitans and senior suffragans in developing local
capacity to receive and process complaints from that system.
It is important to note that anyone who has suffered
sexual abuse by clergy should not wait for this national reporting system to be
in place before reporting abuse. Individuals who may have been abused should
contact local civil authorities to file a report as soon as possible, and may
also report to Church authorities by existing means, such as Victims’
Assistance Coordinators. After reporting to civil authorities,
individuals can also register a complaint with the metropolitan for issues
related to sexual abuse or an abuse of power.