Require the related Essential Norms be audited along with the charter. While the charter is a profound, important and morally binding document, it does not actually stand as church law. The Essential Norms, however, has been approved by the Vatican as church law to assure diocesan compliance with the charter.
This audit issue regarding the Essential Norms is at the core of the concern I raised more than one year ago with the Diocese of La Crosse. According to its diocesan website, the standard of proof that their diocesan review board requires of a person making an allegation of clergy sexual abuse exceeds the standard of proof required by Church law. Because the review board is requiring more of the person making the allegation than is necessary, the possibility exists that the review board will determine that some allegations do not need to be forwarded to the Vatican that really should be sent, allowing priests or deacons who should be removed from ministry to actually continue in ministry. As a result of this incorrect standard of proof, I contend, children and young people in the Diocese of La Crosse could be at risk.
Last year Bishop Callahan stated after the annual third party audit on the diocese that "we have been audited by the Gavin Group, the Diocese of La Crosse received a “clean bill of health.”"
So is Fr.Connell calling Bp. Callahan a liar?
5 comments:
Connell made similar charges against the Milwaukee A'diocese.
Here's their response:http://www.archmil.org/ArchMil/Offnav/SettingtheRecordStraightMedia/Oct.262011.htm
Not to be facetious, but perhaps he 'knows more about such matters than you do'?
Regarding the Bishop's "clean bill of health" statement: That has cryptic potential.
Compare it to a student saying "I passed". Did said student pass with a 100 percent or a 70 percent?
If 70 percent applies, there is obviously room for improvement, correct?
Just something to think about.
Fr. Connell is a very good priest, very pastoral and respectful of Church tradition and the Institution. (He worked in the Archmil's Chancery Office).
I'm not sure its helpful to characterize one party calling another a 'liar' at this point. But at the risk of sounding glib, Fr. Connell may very well be acting prophetically. And prophets make people uncomfortable.
Anony#1 -- why would a priest from Milwaukee know more about matters relating to a diocese across the state than someone from that diocese? And if he did, why would he take them to a secular public newspaper rather than address them with people who could actually make a difference (for instance, the chancery)?
As to your analogy of "clean bill of health" = "I passed", it's not very good, particularly as in your further analysis you imply that the phrase must mean the lower end of "passing." Perhaps you might wish to make the analogy rather to the doctor who gives a "clean bill of health." The phrase means that everything is in working order, no problems have been found, and all is healthy. More like a student saying "I got an A!"
I do not wish to say Fr. Connell cannot be correct, but rather that the grandstanding behavior exhibited in this instance, particularly in view of the fact that independent observers with further access have said nothing of the problems he implies exist, raises questions on his motive in doing so.
Hi Kat:
What I meant was Connell, himself being a priest, is likely privy to the complete standards involved in 'passing' these audits.
It appears that he must have read the results of the audit and he found shortcomings?
Were the results of the audit published? I tried to access the CT article linked to above, but received a 'not found' error message.
If my analogy is inept, is the Bishop's choice of the term 'clean bill of health' fitting in this case?
As for my alleged implication that the phrase "I passed" must mean the lower end of "passing"; Well...that was the implication by Fr. Connell in this article, was it not?
Why did the Bishop essentially say "We passed"...why not "We got an 'A'"?
Maybe it's just me, I don't know. I just thought that the term 'clean bill of health' in reference to adherence to “The Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People” was rather 'broad and unspecific,'
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