Proposed national policy is weak, say heads of 2 dioceses in valleys

Two bishops in the region think zero tolerance should mean zero tolerance.
By D.A. WILKINSON
VINDICATOR RELIGION EDITOR
YOUNGSTOWN -- A proposed national policy on sexual abuse by priests isn't tough enough, according to the leaders of two of the three Catholic dioceses serving the Mahoning and Shenango valleys.
That's the position of Bishop Donald W. Trautman of the Diocese of Erie and Bishop Donald W. Wuerl of the Diocese of Pittsburgh.
The Erie Diocese includes Mercer County and has 210 priests and 225,000 members. The Pittsburgh Diocese includes Lawrence County and has 350 priests and about 750,000 members.
The third bishop, Bishop Thomas J. Tobin of the Catholic Diocese of Youngstown, indicated the policy is a place to begin discussions without giving specifics, although he has said abuse will not be tolerated.
The Youngstown diocese has 122 priests and 262,000 members.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops is meeting today through Saturday in Dallas to consider a proposed national policy.
Priests who commit abuse once after enactment of the policy, or if the priest is determined to be a pedophile attracted to very young children, would be removed under the proposal.
Troubling matter
But another provision could allow priests who were accused once in the past to remain as priests.
A decision to let the priest remain in ministry would take into consideration that priest's cooperation in any counseling aftercare, whether he has fulfilled any criminal penalty, if there is civil liability, and whether he is willing to accept public disclosure.
While that may sound fair, Bishop Trautman and Bishop Wuerl indicated they are troubled by the notion of just one case of sexual abuse.
Monsignor Robert Smith, a spokesman for Bishop Trautman, said, "How often does it only occur once?"
Bishop Trautman's position, said the monsignor, is that, "he's for zero tolerance"
Added Monsignor Smith, "The present proposal is inadequate. It's not good enough."
The Rev. Ronald Lengwin, Bishop Wuerl's spokesman, echoed those sentiments.
"The policy needs to be strengthened," said Father Lengwin.
The issue isn't just zero tolerance for what happens, but what happened in the past, said the spokesman.
Bishop Wuerl suspended a priest in 1988 after allegations of abuse surfaced. When a Vatican tribunal reinstated the priest, Wuerl took his evidence to Rome, and the tribunal reversed its decision in 1995.
"The bottom line is, there should be no priest in public ministry anywhere once a credible allegation has been made," said Father Lengwin.
Reviews planned
The diocese's position reflects the universal concern of Catholics in Pittsburgh that their children are safe, Father Lengwin said.
The policy calls for the creation of local review committees to hear complaints and a national review board.
Some dioceses in the country have been accused of either reassigning priests who were abusers or ignoring complaints of abuse.
The review committees would help bring about some consistency in dealing with complaints, said Monsignor Smith.
If the bishops pass the measure, the proposal would be submitted to Pope John Paul II for approval.
The pope summoned leaders of the church in America to Rome earlier this year to discuss the scandal, telling them that sexual abuse of children, is a sin and "by every standard wrong and rightly considered a crime by society."
The pope's physical ailments shouldn't prevent his approval, since he remains mentally alert, said Monsignor Smith.
American bishops have known of the abuse problem since 1985 but have not come up with a uniform solution. Because of that, Father Lengwin said, "I don't know what to expect."
Bishop Tobin and Bishop Trautman have scheduled press conferences Monday to discuss the vote. Bishop Wuerl's plans weren't set.