Several recommendations already implemented, others to follow

 The Movement to Restore Trust (MRT), a group of independent, committed Catholics formed last year to address the Diocese of Buffalo’s handling of clergy sex abuse cases, has released The Initial Report of the Movement to Restore Trust, a 68-page document seeks “increased support and compassion as well as justice for survivors of sexual abuse and recommends the implementation of meaningful reforms, with a goal of restoring the faithful’s trust and confidence in the Church and its leadership.”

In development since late 2018, six working groups addressed specific areas of inquiry contained in the report.  The groups met from December 2018 through March 2019, to develop the initial set of reports.  They consulted subject matter experts, studied foundational Catholic documents, and looked at best practices from across the United States.  Some work groups consulted Canon lawyers.

“The report represents the best thinking of the approximately 150 people who participated in the work groups,” said John J. Hurley, MRT Organizing Committee member.  “This initial report includes the Executive Summary that was prepared and released by the Organizing Committee in March as a way of framing the process, findings and recommendations of the work groups for Bishop Richard Malone.  It also includes a summary of the recommendations by work group, again prepared by the Organizing Committee, that have already been part of our discussions with the Diocese of Buffalo.”

The work groups addressed the following:

• Transparency around the nature and scale of the abuse in the diocese and financial and spiritual reparations for victims/survivors
•  Transparency about all diocesan operations
•  Accountability for bishops
•  Selecting and monitoring bishops
•  Greater involvement by women and laity in the Church
•  Improvements in the formation of priests & priestly life

Some common themes emerged from and are the basis for many of the recommendations.  

The Executive Summary states: “There is enormous anger in the diocese over the sex abuse crisis.  The wounds that priestly sex abuse has wrought are many: the broken lives of victims; indifference to their suffering on the part of fellow members of the Church; a dearth of accountability for priests and bishops involved or complicit in abuse; a failure to reveal the full truth about abuses; and a deficit of genuine apology, penance and reparation. 

The result has been a significant erosion of trust in the Catholic Church at large and in the Diocese of Buffalo and the laity have a lack of confidence in the institutional Church and its leaders. This has led to laity feeling disillusioned, frustrated and alienated.

“Throughout our meetings, we heard again and again about the need for the bishop to be committed to rebuilding trust. People believe that trust can only exist where there is honesty, openness, transparency and a commitment to authentic listening.”

“This report sets a framework for discussion with the diocese on necessary reforms.  We fully understand that some of the recommendations may already be in process, some may be impossible under current Canon law, and some may not be acceptable for other reasons.  We are committed to an open dialogue with the diocese about all of these recommendations,” Hurley said.

Upon receipt of the Executive Summary and the summary of recommendations in March, Bishop Malone suggested the creation of a Joint Implementation Team (JIT) comprised of MRT representatives and diocesan representatives and reporting to both Bishop Malone and the MRT.  

The JIT has held a series of meetings, with the MRT represented by Maureen Hurley, Paul Bauer and Nancy Nielsen, and the diocese represented by Father Peter Karalus (vicar general), Sister Regina Murphy, SSMN (chancellor), Dennis Mahaney (director, Parish Life) and Msgr. David LiPuma (pastor, Our Lady of Victory Parish/president of Our Lady of Victory Institutions, Lackawanna). 

To date, the MRT has achieved a number of milestones:

•  At the recommendation of MRT, Bishop Malone agreed to a series of Listening Sessions across the diocese (four have already been held; three more are scheduled through August.  “There is much consistency between what is contained in report and the voices of clergy abuse victims and lay Catholics we are hearing from during the Bishop’s listening sessions,” Hurley said.
• James J. Beardi, retired M & T Bank Executive Vice President, has been named by the bishop as chair of the Diocesan Finance Council, and three members of the laity were appointed to the council, which now has a majority of lay members.  Beardi, the first lay person to chair the council, was the leader of Work Group 2, which called for some significant changes to the policies on diocesan finances.    
•  The diocese hired Leadership Roundtable, a renowned consulting firm working with over 70 dioceses across the country.  Dominic Perri of Leadership Roundtable Is working with the Bishop and the JIT to introduce best practices and promote the process of reform.  In a recent radio interview on WBFO, Leadership Roundtable noted the unique and groundbreaking process that the MRT has forged in Buffalo.   
•  MRT played an active role in diocesan Priest Convocation in early June and summarized the work of the MRT and the important role that the priests and parishioners of the diocese will play in the process of reform going forward.  
• The Diocesan Review Board was renamed Independent Diocesan Review Board (IRB) and the MRT is working with the chair of IRB to implement ongoing improvements to the process of investigating and evaluating claims.  
• Members of the MRT are working with diocesan leaders to recommend how victim meetings with the bishop could be made more frequent and improved.

What you need to know

• On July 24, 2019, The Movement to Restore Trust (MRT), a group of independent, committed Catholics formed last year to address the Diocese of Buffalo’s handling of clergy sex abuse cases, released The Initial Report of the Movement to Restore Trust.
• This 68-page document seeks “increased support and compassion as well as justice for survivors of sexual abuse and recommends the implementation of meaningful reforms, with a goal of restoring the faithful’s trust and confidence in the Church and its leadership.”
• MRT’s goal is to be a conduit for the voice of the laity to lead the Church in Buffalo to a new place, a state of trust that has been restored and is marked by:
  • A commitment to justice for the victims of sex abuse;
  • A commitment to Co-Responsibility: the creation of a Church in which lay Catholics work hand in hand with ordained Catholics, in an equal partnership;
  • Complete transparency about past and current instances of sex abuse and a process for dealing with those cases that will inspire trust and confidence;
  • New transparent structures for bishop accountability;
  • Openness and transparency; a way of addressing leadership failure and replacing outdated and secretive management practices based on a respect for the competency of the laity.
• MRT is independent of the Diocese of Buffalo, but since the release of the Executive Summary (the first report in this document) in March, the MRT has been working with Bishop Malone and the diocesan senior staff, including
  Msgr. LiPuma from the Presbyteral Council on the implementation of recommendations.
• An Outline of The Initial MRT Report
  • The Executive Summary (pages 3-7) provide a good overview of the MRT, the process by which this report was developed and the nine foundational themes that cut across the work of all six MRT workgroups.
  • The summary of recommendations (pages 8-13) summarizes the recommendations of the six working groups.
  • There follows six work group reports with more detailed analysis and recommendations in the following areas:
    • Transparency around the nature and scale of the abuse in the diocese and financial and spiritual reparations for victims/survivors
    • Transparency about all diocesan operations
    • Accountability for bishops
    • Selecting and monitoring bishops
    • Greater involvement by women and laity in the Church
    • Improvements in the formation of priests & priestly life
• Upon receipt of the Executive Summary and the summary of recommendations in March, Bishop Malone suggested the creation of a Joint Implementation Team (JIT) comprised of MRT representatives and diocesan representatives and reporting to both Bishop Malone and the MRT. 
• The JIT has held a series of meetings, with the MRT represented by Maureen Hurley, Paul Bauer and Nancy Nielsen, and the diocese represented by Father Peter Karalus (vicar general), Sister Regina Murphy, SSMN (chancellor), Dennis Mahaney (director, Parish Life) and Msgr. David LiPuma (pastor, Our Lady of Victory Parish/president of Our Lady of Victory Institutions, Lackawanna).
• To date, the MRT has celebrated a number of successes:
• At the recommendation of MRT, Bishop Malone agreed to a series of Listening Sessions across the diocese (four have already been held; three more are scheduled through August).
• James J. Beardi, retired M & T Bank Executive Vice President, has been named by the bishop as chair of the Diocesan Finance Council, and three members of the laity were appointed to the council, which now has a majority of lay members.  Beardi, the first lay person to chair the council, was the leader of Work Group 2, which called for some significant changes to the policies on diocesan finances.    
• The diocese hired Leadership Roundtable, a renowned consulting firm working with over 70 dioceses across the country.  Domenic Perri of Leadership Roundtable Is working with the Bishop and the JIT to introduce best practices and promote the process of reform.  In a recent WBFO interview, Leadership Roundtable noted the unique and groundbreaking process that the MRT has forged in Buffalo.  
• MRT played an active role in diocesan Priest Convocation in early June and summarized the work of the MRT and the important role that the priests and parishioners of the diocese will play in the process of reform going forward. 
• The Diocesan Review Board was renamed Independent Review Board (IRB) and the MRT is working with the chair of IRB to implement ongoing improvements to the process of investigating and evaluating claims.  
• Members of the MRT are working with diocesan leaders to recommend improvements to the victim listening sessions held by the bishop. 
• Members of the MRT are working with diocesan leaders to recommend how victim meetings with the bishop could be made more frequent and improved.

John Hurley, member of the MRT Organizing Committee, said:

“Throughout our meetings, we heard again and again about the need for the bishop to be committed to rebuilding trust.  People believe that trust can only exist where there is honesty, openness, transparency and a commitment to authentic listening.

“This report sets a framework for discussion with the diocese on necessary reforms.  We fully understand that some of the recommendations may already be in process, some may be impossible under current Canon law, and some may not be acceptable for other reasons.  We are committed to an open dialogue with the diocese about all of these recommendations.”

Archbishop Walsh Academy, Olean
June 29, 2019

Attendees & Process

About 70 people attended.  Among the clergy in attendance were Father Patrick Melfi, pastor of St. John Parish and pastor/rector of the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels (Olean), Father David Tourville, basilica parochial vicar and Father Larry Ford, OFM, a graduate of Archbishop Walsh.

Stephanie Argentine, Movement to Restore Trust (MRT) member and moderator of the Listening Session, reiterated that we are all “learning as we go,” but encouraged all participants to express their heart-felt concerns directly to the bishop, with the expectation that he will offer his thoughts and reflections, and then respond. Stephanie then informed the group the structure is designed to maximize the number of people to speak and be heard by the bishop. She mentioned changes made to the structure as a direct result of feedback and requested input on ways to further improve the sessions while meeting the goal of allowing as many people as possible to be given the chance to express their concerns, hopes and requests to the bishop.

Ms. Argentine noted the purpose is to give the bishop a chance to hear from all of us (verbally or in written form) and for him to take what he learns and use it as he works on the issue of sex abuse by the clergy. She said these sessions came about as a result of MRT recommending the bishop go to parishes across the diocese to listen to parishioners to inform and influence the bishop going forward.

Attendees were asked to work in groups, by table, to discuss and summarize thoughts from the group on sheets provided on the tables. Each table would have a couple of minutes to share the group’s thoughts, while trying to be cognizant of time. Once each table shared their thoughts, the facilitator would continue to go around the room until out of speakers in the hour timeframe.

Participants were encouraged to record initial thoughts on post it notes before starting discussion at their table. They were provided with three table discussion starters:

1. How do you feel about the Church right now? What concerns you?
2. What do you wish for? Do you have hope? What fills you with hope?
3. How can your church, and this bishop in particular, best help or assist us collectively with this crisis?

THEMED REPORTS FROM THE TABLES

Issue of Church Hierarchy:

• How did the local clerical hierarchy miss this abuse problem?
• Where is their morality? The lack of moral clarity within the hierarchy – needs to change
• The focus for repair, restructuring of the clerics’ perspective, has to be on building virtue.
• The Church does not give parishioners the opportunity to question the morality, behavior of priests, clergy.
• Church administration is closed and breeds dysfunction.
• Increase role and participation of laity in parishes, diocese and formation of priests. The bishop needs more laypeople in his inner circle to advise him, with the lay people being elected not selected, to counter concern the bishop is surrounding himself with people who prevent appropriate response(s)
• Why aren’t there more laypeople from the Southern Tier in that inner circle?
• A bishop should be selected, rather than elected
• Another suggestion: let’s let the women of the Church, in all professions, heal us. Women have been relegated to the back room by the Church hierarchy for much too long.

Recognize we can’t change the past but want to change the future through training and education

• Open up more and provide help so that parents can help protect children
• Make VIRTUS training available to all parishioners, families
• The mother of a victim of abuse said, “Never leave a child alone with an adult.” She supports the bishop in his appearances around the diocese.

Investigations & Confidentiality

• There was consensus that there needs to be a mechanism to report problems, to turn to for advisement.
• Include laity and law enforcement when applicable
• Keep records confidential and secure to protect from media
• Devastating effect on Catholic education enrollment and funding

Consideration of Victims and their Families

• Families of victims need to be healed as well as victims
• Families feel guilt for trusting the offender
• Are children safe today from predator priests? Are they listened to?
• Shame on the diocese’s slow, erroneous response to local victims and their families.
• Children should never be alone with priests – Boy Scouts of America have instituted this practice
• The Church didn’t give the parents of victims a chance to protect their children and those parents will feel that pain until they stop breathing.
• One suggestion for aiding parents, grandparents and guardians to become better listeners and sensitive counselors to their children is a program called “Protecting God’s Children,” online training by certified facilitators on the prevention of child sexual abuse, conducted by VIRTUS, The National Catholic Risk Retention Group, Inc.
• Victims don’t want money; they want to hear “sorry” and they want changes to ensure this never happens again!!!
• What input do parishioners have in victim compensation? We don’t want to give our hard-earned money to pay for the bishop’s mishandling of those cases.
• We must acknowledge that this sexual misconduct issue is not just a Catholic Church problem. For example, an alarming number of cases of pedophilia occur within the family.
• The mother, who had earlier spoken, elaborated on her heart-breaking story: her son, an altar server at 10, began acting out, refusing to return to the church, failing in his school studies. In his teens, he started drinking, then doing drugs. Despite multiple attempts at rehabilitation, he couldn’t get straight. At 34, he committed suicide, taking with him the secret of abuse at the hands of a priest when he was 10. The mother’s advice: don’t let the Catholic Church hierarchy get away with this cover-up and protection of sexual predators. Most victims of abuse don’t want money, they want apologies; and that the perpetrators ask for forgiveness.
• A victim of abuse at the hands of her uncle has been able to move on to survivor! She has also been accused and noted we need to watch false allegations.

Concerns on fracturing of the Church and lack of trust

• One person stated, “This sexual misconduct issue has brought the Church to its knees.
• A closed system, as is the Catholic clerical hierarchy, is anathema to transparency.
• Lack of trust – people vote with their feet – don’t show up. What do we do to bring back trust
• How to reach families with children that have lost trust?
• Youth ministers want to know how to reach out to the families of young children.
• Concern over future growth of the church and moving on from this – some are coming into the Church. Many are leaving.
• Anxiety over where to put contributions – no one wants their money going to settlements, but they want victims to be compensated. At least one diocese has created a fund that is exclusively for settlements – in recognition that some donors only want their money to go to victims.

Priests

• What is the current screening process for enrollment in a seminary? How does the diocese supervise, mentor seminarians, novices?
• Media coverage over false allegations ruins lives; second group of victims are the good priests who have been unjustly lumped in with the criminals. “All priests suspected of sexual misconduct should be considered innocent until proven guilty.”
• Severe shortage of clergy
• Why can’t priests marry? Consider allowing priests to marry.
• Ongoing, when men and women join the clergy, what will supervision and mentoring look like? Will there be annual checks?

Ideas for the Church Going Forward

• Today’s we’re living with consequences of abuse experiences from over 20 years ago; abuse of power – need systemic changes to make a difference.
• “We need transparency in all aspects of this diocese. The current involvement of laypeople is good. I accept that what has happened is bad, but it cannot be changed. We must move on. I am here to urge the bishop to implement the transparency he claims to want but has not yet established.”
• There needs to be more contrition, apologies for the abuse of hierarchical powers from twenty years ago to the present. What penance is going to be demonstrated by the Church world-wide to signal sorrow for the past wrongs and a promise that this will never happen again? The Church will never regain credibility, if this is not done.
• One woman said, “In my family of good Catholics, my husband and I are considering leaving the Church because this current lack of credibility has occasioned a crisis in our faith.” She plead that the Catholic Church has a global obligation to show remorse and penitence and read from a letter that her brother had sent to Pope Francis recommending the Church do Penance to demonstrate the pain we share. It would be a simple act – it should not be about money because our credibility is so damaged. Her brother’s suggestion was that for one year, every Catholic Church altar around the world should remain stripped of ornament, as it is during Holy Week. This no-cost gesture would speak volumes about the penitence, contrition of the Church hierarchy worldwide.
• Bishop currently getting guidance from lawyers vs. laity. The Diocese and Church needs to change the language and find better language. For example, payoff versus payout; are we using of language of business or pastoral nature?
• Use “sorry” as an empathetic term vs guilt
• Transparency is a big thing – improve channels of communication for people to learn other than through the media

General Comments

• People came seeking hope.
• We need something systemically new from this
• There are lots of positives in our Church
• It’s hard to imagine so much pain and joy can be experienced by people side-by-side – someone who experienced nothing but joy and good in their experience with the Church finds it hard to comprehend and feels great pain over all of this.

BISHOP MALONE’S RESPONSES AND COMMENTS

• “Of the four Listening Sessions I have attended, all designed for me to listen to the parishioners, this is the most powerful.”
• People who should have been trusted have betrayed their commitment to Jesus. But we must continue to be hopeful. This is a crucifixion of victims, of good priests, of all of us. I am feeling vulnerable. I continue to ask for forgiveness; I could have done better but did not.
• From my heart, I want to apologize to the woman whose son was abused.
• The bishop reiterated the importance of protecting children by enrolling them in Catholic schools, where he said he feels that they are safest. Absent that, programs like VIRTUS also are highly effective.
• All adults have been called to involvement in protecting the young.
• The seminarians’ preparation has been strengthened. They are evaluated by psychological evaluation, as well by the faculty, and finally submit to review by the bishop.
• A notable feature at Christ the King Seminary is that seminarians are in class with and are evaluated by lay men and lay women.
• At the U.S. Conference of Bishops, everyone was appalled at the accusations against Theodore McCarrick, a former cardinal. The U.S. bishops have demanded an explanation about this case from the Vatican.
• For his diocese, the bishop has proposed including professional laypeople to review cases of sexual misconduct. On the Diocesan Review Board (DRB), there is one priest, and the bishop just listens.
• The bishop promises to continue change in the diocesan leadership culture. He acknowledges the role that MRT has played in bringing these issues to his attention.
• When a woman attendee charged that the MRT did not include anyone from the Southern Tier, it was noted that that two residents from the Southern Tier have been part of the MRT since the beginning session.

Nancy Nielsen, of the Movement To Restore Trust, spoke about the objectives of that group: to create a Central Reporting Committee for reporting abuse and other problems directly; to make a commitment to co-responsibility, in which lay Catholics work hand-in-hand with ordained Catholics in an equal partnership; new transparent structures for bishop accountability; openness and transparency, addressing leadership failure and replacing outdated and secretive management practices based on respect for the competency of the laity. Nancy urged all of us to listen to the victims and heal with them.

Father Melfi delivered the closing prayer. The meeting was adjourned after two hours.

Upcoming Parish Listening Sessions:

• Saturday, August 3, 9:30am – 11:30am – Sacred Heart Social Center (Batavia)
• Saturday, August 10, 9:30am – 11:30am – Nativity of Our Lord (Orchard Park)
• Saturday, August 17, 9:30am – 11:30am – Holy Trinity Parish (Dunkirk)

By Another Voice
SAT, JUL 6, 2019

By Robert Poczik

Catholics are members of a global church with more than a billion adherents, of whom nearly 70% live in South America, Africa and Asia. Though members of a large global church, it is in local parishes that church members worship, learn, grow, form relationships and act out their faith. This is clearly a situation where we need to “Think globally, act locally…

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