LaXTrib: Bishop "James" Callahan updates La Crosse Diocese abuse policy

The Roman Catholic Diocese of La Crosse has updated its policies to lower the burden of proof for launching internal investigations of child sex abuse by members of the clergy and to reflect modern avenues for crimes against children.

Bishop James Callahan[ahem, a quick search of the diocesan website shows our current bishop to be "William Patrick Callahan, O.F.M. Conv."  The Editor of the La Crosse Tribune is the one who wrote this article....] said Wednesday that revision of the standards was one of his priorities on taking charge of the diocese in August 2010, spurred in part by Pope Benedict XVI's 2010 update of church rules.

Following the Vatican's lead, the new policy expands the scope of child sex abuse to include computer crimes such as downloading child pornography or sending explicit electronic messages.

"I really applaud the pope, because this is just so much common sense," Callahan said. "People don't realize how advanced the church is in dealing with issues of protection of children. ... We were not in the past, and we certainly have taken our lumps because of it." [College sports programs come to mind here]

The policies govern how the diocese, which serves 196,246 Catholics in 165 parishes across western Wisconsin, investigates allegations of sexual abuse of children and other vulnerable people and how clergy are disciplined.

Callahan emphasized that while the church conducts internal investigations, all allegations are first reported to civil authorities.

"Many times the civil authorities are telling us there's nothing there, and we still look into it," he said. "That doesn't trump anything we do."

Decisions re-affirmed

The changes include new language that lowers the burden of proof required to open an internal investigation.

Callahan said the diocese's review board - a panel of clergy and lay people charged with investigating sexual abuse allegations - reviewed its prior cases using the new standards and affirmed its decisions.

An audit by another diocese confirmed those results, said James Birnbaum, the diocese's attorney and a member of the review board.

Since the formation of the review board in 2003, 11 priests have been accused by adults who said they were abused as children. Of those allegations, Birnbaum said, 10 were against priests who had since died or left the ministry; the diocese could not sufficiently confirm the other case.

Those cases involved allegations of abuse at least 20 years in the past, Birnbaum said.

Birnbaum said any allegations of recent or ongoing abuse are to be reported first to civil authorities.

"The first thing that happens is we call the cops," he said.

Though never accused of abusing children in the diocese, the Rev. Patrick Umberger, pastor of St. Patrick's Church in Onalaska, was charged last year with possession of child pornography. Umberger died with his legal case pending.

The nine-member review board includes a psychologist, a retired judge, and a corporate executive in addition to three clergy members and two attorneys.

‘A necessity regardless'

One of the changes - to the language surrounding the burden of proof for investigating allegations against priests - addresses a concern raised last year by a priest and canon lawyer in the Milwaukee Archdiocese.

In June 2010, two months before Callahan's installation as bishop, the Rev. James Connell wrote that the diocese's policy was out of line with church standards.

The diocese standard for determining whether to forward allegations to church officials in Rome called for "moral certitude which excludes every prudent doubt or every doubt founded on positive reasons" rather than the mere "semblance of truth" outlined in church law.

The new document requires the allegation to be "sufficiently credible" and corroborated by evidence from a witness, document or other source.

Connell, who Callahan calls a good friend, declined to comment on the new document except to say the new language satisfies his concerns.

"The review of the policies was something that needed to be done whether Father (Connell) brought it about or didn't," Callahan said. "I saw it was a necessity regardless."

Read more: http://lacrossetribune.com/news/local/diocese-updates-sex-abuse-policies/article_12e904da-1be0-11e1-99e6-001cc4c002e0.html#ixzz1fI2ypzg4

They publish every possible article they can on how the Diocese of La Crosse abuse policy is protecting criminals, and then the man that comes in and fixes it gets his name butchered.  Besides the name thing, obviously embarrassing, a good article.  It sounds like Bp. Callahan took the time to sit down with Hubbuch which is the right step in improving media relations.  There is definitely a need for a responsible secular press in covering church issues.