News and Current Events
Diocesan
officials meet with district attorney
Officials of the Diocese of Memphis
met with Shelby County District Attorney General William Gibbons January
5 to determine mutual agreements about how best to protect children from
sexual abuse in Western Tennessee.
A document published by the Attorney
General's office has noted that in 2003, 1,688 cases of sexual and
severe physical abuse were reported in Shelby County alone.
At the conclusion of the meeting,
diocesan spokesperson Father John Geaney, C.S.P. and Gibbons announced
that:
1. The diocese reiterated its current
policy to report all cases of sexual abuse of minors either by priests,
deacons or employees of the diocese.
2. Both institutions were chiefly
interested in the protection of children.
3. General Gibbons and diocesan
officials agreed that the names of all priests against whom credible
allegations had been made would be turned over to the DA's office
promptly. Legal determinations about the cases, many of which are made
more complex in Tennessee law because most of them have been reported
after the victims turned 18, will be analyzed by the district attorney's
office. That office will determine how and if cases will be pursued.
4. The Attorney General and diocesan
officials also agreed that the diocese and district attorney's office
will each designate a person who will be a liaison with the other
organization. The purpose of the liaisons is to: (a) facilitate
communication and co-operation between the Diocese and the district
attorney's office; (b) provide and receive information concerning any
crimes as identified by Tennessee law concerning the sexual abuse of
minors by any priest, deacon or employee of the diocese; (c) identify
and resolve issues or problems that arise in implementing agreement; and
(d) act as primary contact persons between the diocese and the district
attorney's office.
5. Both diocesan officials and the
District Attorney General agreed that within 30 days the persons to act
as liaisons will be identified by name, address, and contact number.
"Both the DA's office and the diocese
have a common goal," said Father Geaney, "and that is to protect
children. Sometimes that will mean going beyond the demands of the law,
and doing and encouraging others to do what we know is right. The
Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People issued by the
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops reminds us that dioceses
should report all allegations of abuse of minors even if the allegation
does not fall within the criminal statutes of the state."
Bishop J. Terry Steib, S.V.D.
announced through Father Geaney that he has established and begun
activities necessary for the staffing of a diocesan office for the
Protection of Children and Youth.
"At the present time we are gathering
materials and creating a job description for the office," said Bishop
Steib. "We are looking to staff the office with the best possible
persons, so that we continue on the path that will help us to ensure
that any children entrusted to diocesan care will be safe."
Father Robert
Ponticello, Episcopal Vicar for the diocese, Father Geaney,
communications advisor to Bishop Steib, Jim Kleiser and Bill Carson,
legal counsels for the diocese, Marty Regan from the Diocesan Review
Board, and John Pierotti, internal investigator for the review board,
met with Gibbons and Kevin Rardin, Assistant District Attorney for Child
Sexual Abuse in Shelby County, along with Dorothy Ingram Miller of the
Department of Children's Services.
Media Release
Diocese of
Memphis 5825 Shelby Oaks Drive Memphis, TN
38134-7389
For Immediate
Release Contact: Rev. John Geaney, CSP
January 5, 2005 901-289-0760
Diocese of
Memphis Officials Meet with Gibbons
Memphis --
Officials of the Diocese of Memphis met with
Shelby County District Attorney General
William Gibbons today to determine mutual
agreements about how best to protect
children from sexual abuse in Western
Tennessee. A document published by the
Attorney General's office has noted that in
2003, 1688 cases of sexual and severe
physical abuse were reported in Shelby
County alone.
At the
conclusion of the meeting, Diocesan
spokesperson Father John Geaney, CSP and
Gibbons announced that: 1. The Diocese
reiterated its current policy to report all
cases of sexual abuse of minors either by
priests, deacons or employees of the
Diocese. 2. Both institutions were chiefly
interested in the protection of children. 3.
General Gibbons and Diocesan officials
agreed that the names of all priests against
whom allegations had been made would be
turned over to the DA's office promptly.
Legal determinations about the cases, many
of which are made more complex in Tennessee
law because most of them have been reported
after the victims turned eighteen, will be
analyzed by the DA's office. That office
will determine how and if cases will be
pursued. 4. The Attorney General and
Diocesan officials also agreed that: The
diocese and DA's office will each designate
a person who will be a liaison with the
other organization. The purpose of the
liaisons is to:
(a)facilitate
communication and co-operation between the
Diocese and the DA's office (b)provide and
receive information concerning any crimes as
identified by Tennessee law concerning the
sexual abuse of minors by any priest, deacon
or employee of the Diocese. (c)identify and
resolve issues or problems that arise in
implementing agreement. (d)act as primary
contact persons between the Diocese and the
DA's office.
5. Both
Diocesan officials and the District Attorney
General agreed that within 30 days the
persons to act as liaisons will be
identified by name, address, and contact
number.
Bishop Steib,
announced through diocesan spokesperson,
Father John Geaney, CSP, that he has
established and begun activities necessary
for the staffing of a Diocesan Office for
the Protection of Children and Youth. "At
the present time we are gathering materials
and creating a job description for the
office," the Bishop said. "We are looking to
staff the office with the best possible
persons, so that we continue on the path
that will help us to insure that any
children entrusted to Diocesan care will be
safe."
Fathers
Robert Ponticello, Episcopal Vicar for the
Diocese, and John Geaney, CSP,
Communications Advisor to Bishop Steib, and
other representatives from the Diocese met
with Gibbons and Mr. Kevin Rardin, Assistant
District Attorney for Child Sexual Abuse in
Shelby County, along with Dorothy Ingram
Miller of the Department of Children's
Services. The group met for one and a half
hours in Gibbons office.
The Diocese
of Memphis has 63,000 members who worship in
47 parishes and missions in 22 counties of
Western Tennessee. Steib has been Bishop of
Memphis for 12 years, and is the fourth
Bishop of Memphis. The Diocese of Memphis in
Tennessee was established on January 6,
1971.
Diocese: transfer of priest story inaccurate
In an article in the Memphis Commercial
Appeal on Sat., Sept. 25, it was announced that Juan Carlos Duran, a former Dominican
priest, had been transferred to a parish in St. Louis after being in Memphis where allegations of sexual abuse were made against him.
According to Father John J. Geaney, C.S.P., communications advisor for the Diocese of Memphis, in a statement released Saturday
afternoon, the Prior Provincial of the Southern Dominican Province, Very Rev. Martin Gleeson, OP, indicated that the chronology in the
Commercial Appeal story is inaccurate.
Duran was stationed in St. Louis, Missouri
prior to coming to Memphis. No reports or allegations of sexual abuse or other improper
behavior were brought to the attention of his Dominican Superiors prior to his assignment to Memphis. When Most Rev. J Terry Steib and
Duran's Dominican Superior were informed of the allegations of sexual abuse against Duran in February 2000, his Dominican Superiors, at
Bishop Steib's request and in accordance with their policy, immediately removed Duran from public ministry. He was never reassigned to St. Louis
or any other parish or any other ministry after leaving Memphis. Duran left the Dominican Order in June 2001.
The statement was sent to parishes throughout the diocese to be read at Liturgies this past weekend.
Father Robert Ponticello named temporary administrator at St. Mary's in Jackson
Bishop J. Terry Steib, S.V.D. has appointed Father Robert Ponticello, Episcopal Vicar of the Diocese of Memphis, as temporary administrator at St. Mary Church in Jackson and St. John Church in Brownsville.
This past Sunday, Bishop Steib celebrated the 9 a.m. Liturgy at St. John Church in Brownsville and the 10:30 a.m. Mass at St. Mary Church in Jackson. He made the announcement about Father Ponticello at each parish.
As Episcopal Vicar of the Diocese of Memphis, Father Ponticello works closely with Bishop Steib and also is the Moderator of the Curia. As moderator, Ponticello coordinates the administrative activities of the Diocese, under the authority of the Bishop.
Bishop Steib appointed him to be the Episcopal Vicar in April of this year. In July, Father Ponticello was also appointed Director of Villa Vianney, the Diocese of Memphis' residence for senior and retired priests.
The appointment of an administrator at St. Mary's was made necessary when Bishop Steib accepted Father Richard Mickey's request for an administrative leave on August 12, after Mickey was made aware of sexual abuse allegations against him. Mickey denies the allegations.
Father Ponticello was the Chancellor of the Diocese from 1992 to 1998, and has served in many different administrative posts in the Diocese. He has also been a pastor for 11 years, most recently at the Church of the Nativity in Bartlett.
While temporary administrator at St. Mary and St. John parishes, Father Ponticello will maintain his other posts.
Father Ponticello, 50, comes from Philadelphia. He applied to become a priest of the Diocese of Memphis in 1979 and was ordained in 1981 by Most Rev. Carroll Dozier, the first Bishop of Memphis.
Father Ponticello has college degrees in psychology, and in philosophy and religion. He also holds a Licentiate in Canon Law from St. Paul University in Ottawa.
In other developments:
Counselors were sent to Jackson this past week, making themselves available to parishioners and students for on-site counseling. Dr. Colleen Butterick, director of counseling services for the Catholic schools, and her team also returned this week for additional counseling sessions. They also traveled this past week to the Church of the Ascension, where Father Mickey served for eight years, to avail themselves to families of the Raleigh parish.
Also, the diocese has engaged former Shelby County District Attorney John Pierotti and given him full authority to conduct an independent investigation of the allegations.
Diocese responds quickly to abuse allegations
Bishop J. Terry Steib, S.V.D., responded to allegations of sexual abuse by a diocesan priest by directing that an internal investigation of the allegations begin. John Pierotti, former District Attorney General for Shelby County, will conduct the investigation.
Counselors were sent to St. Mary parish in Jackson and St. John parish in Brownsville to assist children of the school and parishioners in dealing with their feelings about the situation. Also, the Diocesan Review Board has been notified of the allegations.
Bishop Steib also accepted Father Richard Mickey's request for administrative leave as pastor of St. Mary and St. John Churches. "We are carefully following the diocesan regulations for the response to claims of sexual abuse of minors," said Bishop Steib.
Father Richard Mickey, Bishop Byrne High School, and the Diocese of Memphis have been named in a civil lawsuit by Blain and Blair Chambers. The Chambers brothers alleged that Father Mickey sexually abused them in the late 1970's when they were students at Bishop Byrne High School. At the time, Mickey was a teacher at the high school, although he was not a priest. Today, Blain and Blair Chambers are 39 and live in Montana.
Father Mickey requested administrative leave when he became aware of the allegations. Bishop Steib accepted Father Mickey's request on August 12 and assigned him to live in Memphis.
Last weekend, Father Robert Ponticello, Episcopal Vicar of the Diocese, traveled to St. Mary in Jackson to celebrate all the Masses and to listen to the people of the parish. Two letters were read during Father Ponticello's homily. In a letter from Bishop Steib, the Bishop stressed his responsibility to assure the safety of all the children, the obligation of the diocese to reach out with counseling to the victims of sexual abuse, and the need to see to it that truth and justice be done for both the alleged victims and the alleged perpetrator. He urged the people "to join me in praying for Father Mickey."
Father Ponticello also read a letter from Father Mickey in which the priest spoke to his parishioners saying, "it is a difficult time for you, for me and for the Church…" Father Mickey denies the allegations against him.
The letters from Bishop Steib and Father Mickey were also read at St. John Church.
News of the lawsuit against Father Mickey came on the heels of another lawsuit filed a week earlier. Juan Carlos Duran, O.P., a former Dominican priest, now a lay person, was alleged to have sexually abused a boy at Ascension parish while the priest was serving there in 1999-2000. Diocesan regulations about sexual abuse are also being followed in the Duran case.
Diocese of Memphis in compliance with charter; commended for proactive initiatives to provide safe environment for children
The Diocese of Memphis continues to be proactive in ensuring that it is complying with the charter on sexual abuse, enacted by the U. S. Bishops last year. With the January 6 issuance of the first Chapter Implementation Report, the Diocese of Memphis has been found to be compliant with the Charter adopted by the Bishops at their meeting in Dallas in June 2002.
The compliance audit for the Diocese of Memphis was held October 20-24, 2003. The Gavin Group, Inc., the company selected by Kathleen McChesney, Executive Director of the Bishops' Office of Child and Youth Protection, conducted audits of all the dioceses in the United States.
A two-person team representing the U.S. bishops interviewed diocesan personnel, as well as a number of clergy and employees at parishes, schools, and other diocesan entities. The compliance team also reviewed the diocesan policies and procedures to assist the bishop in ensuring that the Diocese of Memphis is following the norms.
In its commendation letter to Bishop J. Terry Steib, S.V.D, the audit team stated that the existence of efficient and effective programs "has likely contributed to the low occurrence of such problems for the Diocese of Memphis." It also commended the Diocese of Memphis for "its proactive efforts to provide a safe environment for its children."
"Our Review Board was rated as one of the best the auditors have interviewed throughout their audits," said Deacon Chuck Wells, Chancellor of the Diocese of Memphis, at the completion of the audit. "They also complimented us on the policies we had in place prior to the implementation of the Charter and the Norms."
"The abusive sexual actions of a few can invade what should be a trustworthy relation between the church and its people," said Bishop Steib following the issuance of the report. "We must therefore take every precaution to prevent harm to any of God's children. We must make certain that the trust placed in us as clergy, diocesan employees, and volunteers is never compromised. The Diocese of Memphis is committed to that."
At the conclusion of the audit, the Diocese of Memphis was issued three instructions, six recommendations, and one commendation.
The instructions included:
- make complaint filing procedures for sexual abuse readily available in printed form and via public announcements;
- schedule and implement "safe environment" training for parents, educators, clergy, employees and volunteers; and
- conduct background investigations on all diocesan personnel beginning with priests and deacons;
All of these instructions have been addressed and are being implemented.
The recommendations included the Diocese to:
- provide cooperation with social serviced and other religious denominations in the outreach program;
- amend regulations to include wording that the diocese will cooperate with civil authorities, communicate with the local prosecutor, and share diocesan regulations to open lines of communication;
- revise policy to state that alleged offenders will be offered professional assistance for healing and well-being;
- revise the standards for clergy to include other personnel who have who have regular contact with children;
- expand the policy on transparency and openness in communications to include external communications; and
- identify the "safe environment" programs in place for children and young people.
These recommendations have been addressed.
The Diocese of Memphis also received a commendation "for proactive initiatives by the Diocese to provide safe environments for children, and for establishing procedures to respond to instance of abuse in 1995."
The Diocese of Memphis continues to be proactive in its approach to the issue of sexual abuse. Brochures have been made available to all of the parishes and schools which lists the protocol for anyone who has been sexually abused. It gives contact names of the diocesan Victim Assistance Coordinator and a backup person. It also includes the names of Msgr. Peter Buchignani, V.G., Vicar General of the diocese, Deacon Wells, and Sandra Goldstein, diocesan director of human resources, as contacts should the victim choose to call the diocesan offices.
The diocese continues to implement the VIRTUS program, "Protecting God's Children." This program is designed to train priests, deacons, educators, church personnel, some parents, volunteers and others regularly involved with minors regarding the issue of child abuse, including sexual abuse. These safe environment programs and training are being incorporated into the on-going mission of the diocese, using modern web-based software in order to be current and compliant at all times.
Thus far, 46 people from throughout the diocese have been trained as facilitators, according to Goldstein, who serves as program administrator of the VIRTUS program. The facilitators have trained 286 people in 32 diocesan, parish or school locations across the diocese, thus far. Over the next month, scores of clergy, employees, contractors, and volunteers at the parish and school level will be trained. Provisions are also being made to conduct the training sessions in Spanish.
The U.S. bishops' Office of Child and Youth Protection says that background investigations need to be performed on employees and volunteers who have regular contact with children and teens. The diocesan human resources office and education office have written policies to comply with this provision.
In the Diocese of Memphis, background checks have been conducted on a routine basis by various organizations, such as the Catholic School system and the social agencies of Associated Catholic Charities. This check has been in our hiring policies for the past several years. However, many personnel hired prior to the establishment of the policy have not had background checks conducted on them. Therefore, in order to comply with the Charter, it will be necessary that background checks be done on all diocesan personnel beginning with priests, deacons, and deaconate candidates. Following those checks which should be completed next week, checks on diocesan and parish personnel include all employees full-time or part-time, all volunteers, full-time or part-time, will begin.
For more information on the diocesan policy and the U.S. bishops' response to the recent crisis, see the Diocese of Memphis website, www.cdom.org. The site includes a copy of the policy, key links and other pertinent information.
For more information, contact John Morris, Director of Communications, at 373-1230.
