Sexual abuse by priests has emerged as a scandal in the Catholic Church during
                the last decade. Many Catholics are equally troubled by the perception that Catholic
                leaders prefer to muffle the problem in a blur of denial, church-speak and silence.

                In recent weeks, Edward Cardinal Egan appeared to confront the crisis head-on when
                he summoned every priest in the archdiocese to two closed-door sessions to address the problem.
                The meetings focused on a 15-page set of guidelines titled "Archdiocese of New York Policy
                Relating to Sexual Misconduct," a copy of which I have obtained.

                During the two media-free sessions, I'm told, the cardinal expressed personal
                compassion for the victims and families of priestly abuse as well as his concern that
                the good reputation of most priests was being sullied unfairly.

                The guidelines, however, are a different matter.

                At one point, the document defines archdiocesan personnel as "all persons
                [clergy, religious and laity] who are employed by, are under personal contract
                of employment or volunteer in any of the entities encompassed by the archdiocese."
                This language is strikingly similar to that used by the cardinal when, as bishop of
                Bridgeport, Conn., he fought against lawsuits brought against his diocese by families
                of abused children on the grounds that priests were "outside contractors" and
                therefore the diocese was not liable.

                And while punishment for lay employees involved in sexual misconduct is spelled out
                as strict, severe and final, there appears to be a double standard for wayward priests.
                For them, any punishment should be in-house, a family matter, softened by
                "diagnostic evaluation, treatment, successful after-care" and "professional
                recommended therapy."

                Nowhere in the 15-page guidelines is there a single mention of police involvement.
                Calling 911 is not an option.

                Furthermore, the purpose of the two meetings appears to have been, at least in
                part, long-range damage control. One priest quoted Egan as saying: "The more we
                show that we have meetings like this, the better chance we have in court, with less
                liability. These meetings are a way in which to defend ourselves before the courts."
                The guidelines, too, can be seen as designed as evidence the archdiocese has taken all
                necessary steps to prevent, condemn and weed out misconduct. Cynics might view
                the document more as a shrewd legal brief than a concerned pastoral manual.

                Perhaps the meetings might have been more heartening to the priests if they
                hadn't been surrounded by such a secretive, circling-the-wagons atmosphere.
                As one priest observed afterward, the sessions "were kind of negative and not very
                affirming of us as priests." What might have been more encouraging was a focus on
                seminary evaluation and reform, psycho-sexual testing and background checks on all
                candidates for the priesthood, outreach programs for families wounded by sexual
                predators and some honest soul-searching about celibacy in the priesthood.

                The meetings also would be more effective if they were open to parents and families
                and were held in every parish in the archdiocese to explore, openly and
                candidly, the problems of sexual abuse by priests.

                As it is, the closed-door, private-club approach sends a message that appears to
                be anything but catholic.
 

                 Ryan is a former columnist for the Brooklyn Tablet
 
 

                Original Publication Date: 6/25/01