The Catholic Archdiocese of Mobile unveiled a new child
protection policy Tuesday in the wake of several sex abuse scandals in its
churches.
The 64-page policy calls for all employees to undergo training to recognize,
prevent and report sex abuse; lays out a specific, aggressive procedure for
reporting and addressing abuse allegations; and sets forth a code of conduct
for all volunteers.
Archdiocese officials said the policy is a more proactive approach to dealing
with child abuse and is aimed at assuring parishioners that they take the
problem seriously. In recent months, Archbishop Oscar Lipscomb has dismissed
two priests for allegations of sexual abuse dating as far back as the 1970s.
"I hope the impact is to say there is a more cohesive effort and broader
efforts are being made to try to eliminate the hurt and the facilitation of
this (sex abuse) from ever happening again," said Father Michael Farmer,
chancellor of the Archdiocese of Mobile.
"Hopefully there will be more understanding and a restoring of trust where
it's been lost in some areas."
That trust between Catholics and the church has been especially shaken in
Mobile.
Lipscomb stunned parishioners in March when he disclosed that he left the Rev.
J. Alexander Sherlock - a longtime Mobile priest who had been transferred to
Montgomery - in the ministry after he had admitted to sexual abuse of young
men. The probe later widened as new allegations surfaced about four other
priests and a church employee at a school.
Lipscomb, who issued a series of apologies as he met with distraught
parishioners, turned over the church files about the alleged sexual abuse to
Mobile County District Attorney John Tyson.
The diocese covers 28 south Alabama counties with more than 65,000 Catholics.
Several state newspapers have urged editorially that Lipscomb step down and
that church officials should remove him if he doesn't resign.
The events prompted the archdiocese to devise a system to directly address
allegations of child abuse, which culminated with Tuesday's announcement.
"This training will bring an awareness of what abuse looks like so people
can recognize it," said Ginger Koppersmith, a spokeswoman for the Office
of Catholic Schools.
The training program is an integral part of the new policy and involves
training all archdiocese employees - priests, teachers, volunteers and support
staff.
Father Jim Cink, director of child protection for the archdiocese, said the
goal is for all employees to have completed the program by December.
The training program ensures that every employee will have been educated on sex
abuse policies. In the past, Farmer said, church officials simply assumed
employees had read the material before signing it.
"It's more proactive," he said. "Before, it was not as broad a
policy as this. It was understood that you read the policy and understood it.
Here, you have to take a day and go do (the training), then you will sign the paper."
Besides the training program, background checks will be required for new church
employees and volunteers within 60 days of their hiring.
It also establishes a system by which the archdiocese will address allegations.
When an allegation of child abuse is made, the church employee who receives the
allegation will contact Cink. His office will then contact the alleged victim's
family and Lipscomb.
The accused will immediately be notified and placed on leave and the district
attorney's office and the state Department of Human Resources will be notified.
If the allegation comes from an adult claiming abuse years ago, Cink and other
church officials will investigate the claims for merit before notifying civil
authorities.
The policy also includes a case review board, consisting primarily of
laypersons, to review each allegation and advise Lipscomb on the validity of
each case.
Cink said the program will cost "in the tens of thousands of
dollars." The archdiocese will foot the bulk of the bill, with individual
parishes funding the background checks for potential hires.
Finally, the new policy also establishes a code of conduct for volunteers.
"You have a code of behavior not to put yourself in a situation that can
be perceived as inappropriate," Farmer said.
It all points to the sense of urgency the archdiocese has to prevent further
incidents of abuse, Farmer said.
That doesn't mean abuse in the church will cease to exist, but it does mean the
church is dealing with the issue, Farmer said.
"We live in a culture where we want a foolproof solution for
everything," Farmer said. "This policy is about trying to get as
foolproof as we possibly, and humanly possibly, can get."