In December 2003 Bishop John M. D'Arcy provided a public accounting of the number of priests within the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend against whom the Diocese had received a credible allegation of sexual abuse of a minor. He acknowledged that diocesan records for the period of 1950 to 2003 indicated that sixteen different priests had been credibly accused of such misconduct. During that period of time, credible allegations of sexual abuse were received from 33 different people, each of whom identified at least one of the sixteen accused priests as the abuser. Each of the credibly accused priests was either dead or had been removed from church ministry prior to the 2003 report. Each of the living priests or former priests who was credibly accused remains removed from church ministry.
The Diocese intends to maintain the same level of transparency that prompted the December 2003 accounting by once again updating the information then reported. Bishop D'Arcy believes it is appropriate to apprise all within the diocese and elsewhere of the recent developments and the impact of this global crisis on this Diocese.
Since December 2003, six additional people have contacted the Diocese with what the Diocese has determined to be a credible complaint of sexual abuse perpetrated by a priest in this Diocese. With one exception, each of the priests accused by those who came forward since December 2003 was previously accused of sexual abuse by someone who came forward prior to our last report in December 2003. One of the six people who came forward after December 2003 with what appears to be a credible-type allegation was not able to identify the accused priest. That particular complaint involves events alleged to have occurred approximately 60 years ago. The identity of the accused priest, thought to be a priest of a religious order or community, remains unknown even after an extensive investigation. Therefore, the total number of identified priests known by the Diocese to have been credibly accused of sexual abuse of a minor in this diocese remains at 16. Each of the allegations received since the December 2003 accounting involve events of abuse alleged to have occurred approximately twenty or more years ago. Through the period since the previous report, 1950 to the present, the diocese has received no new names of priest perpetrators.
The Diocese has offered pastoral and counseling assistance to each of the individuals and family members of the individuals from whom it received a credible allegation since December 2003, including the one bringing the allegation claimed to have occurred 60 years ago. Some have accepted assistance, others have not. From December 2003 through November 2005, approximately $63,500 more has been paid by the Diocese to or for the benefit of those making such complaints, or their family members. The additional payments have been made for assorted forms of therapeutic assistance and medications.
Another aspect of the response to this crisis is the diocese's compliance with the terms of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young Persons. The Charter was adopted by the bishops of all dioceses in the United States and approved by the Holy See in 2002. The Charter requires that each diocese promote safe environments for children and youth participating in diocesan school and religious education programs. The Charter also requires that dioceses utilize background screening and training programs to better limit the likelihood of a person who would harm a child or young person from gaining access to them or actually causing such harm in a Catholic Church setting.
The diocese has been audited for Charter compliance by Gavin Group, Inc. in each of the three years since 2002. Gavin Group is an independent company that utilizes former FBI agents to perform the audit work. The diocese was found to be in compliance with the Charter in each annual compliance audit that it has undergone, including the most recent one that began this past July and was completed in October.
In compliance with the Charter, the diocese has developed and implemented new age-appropriate processes for each of its parish schools and religious education programs. These are designed to educate children and young persons on how to build positive relationships, recognize inappropriate conduct, and report the occurrence of misconduct. These new processes are in addition to, or in replacement of, other similar-type processes that were in place in diocesan schools and religious education programs even before the implementation of the Charter. All of the diocese's new safe environment efforts are intended to better protect and educate the over 20,000 children and youth who are students in diocesan schools or religious education programs each year.
The diocese has also amended its guidelines on reporting suspected incidents of child abuse or neglect. This most recent version was developed with input from the prosecuting attorney of a county within the diocese. A copy of the amended document was sent to all prosecuting attorneys of each county within the diocese.
In compliance with the Charter, the diocese has developed more comprehensive criminal background screening and child abuse awareness training programs for adults. These apply to all diocesan priests, deacons and employees and all adult volunteers whose volunteer duties with the diocese involve regular contact with children or young persons. From the inception of these programs in late 2002 to the time of the most recent Charter compliance audit, the diocese conducted criminal history screens on nearly 8,500 priests, deacons, employees, and covered volunteers. Again, the heightened screening and training processes are intended to strengthen the protection of the children and youth involved in diocesan programs.
The diocese continues to reach out to any others who may claim to have been the victim of sexual abuse perpetrated by a priest, deacon or other person associated with the diocese. The diocese has a victim assistance coordinator, Mary Glowaski. Mary has extensive work experience and educational training that enhances her ability to work effectively with those who come forward with such complaints.
The diocese urges anyone who wishes to report an allegation of sexual abuse or neglect of a child perpetrated by a priest, deacon or any person associated with the diocese to contact Mary Glowaski at (260) 744-3682 or Father Robert Schulte at (260) 422-4611.
