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Boston priests want due process for accused colleagues
By Jay Lindsay, Associated Press, 08/21/02
BOSTON -- A group of Boston priests have asked to meet with Cardinal Bernard Law to discuss fears that innocent priests are being destroyed by unsubstantiated accusations of child sex abuse. The Boston Priests' Forum, which represents about 250 of the 900 priests in the Boston archdiocese, wants Law to clarify priests' rights. Since January, 20 priests accused of abuse have been removed from jobs, including some who insist they're innocent. "What happens to a priest who has been falsely accused?" wrote Robert Bullock, chairman of Boston Priests' Forum. "...Priests are deeply troubled and need to be reassured." "Would you consider meeting with all the priests to help them understand all this and calm their apprehensions?" Bullock wrote in the Aug. 5 letter. "Your Eminence, the priests are hurting, our morale has plummeted. We need to come together to address these issues." Bullock met with Law's assistant, Bishop Walter Edyvean on Tuesday. The Boston Globe reported that Law and the regional bishops of the archdiocese will meet with the priests after Labor Day. Bullock did not immediately respond to a call for comment by The Associated Press. The year-old Priests' Forum started as a support group for priests concerned about burnout. It predated the current sex abuse scandal, which broke in January with revelations that church officials shuffled since-defrocked priest John Geoghan between parishes despite knowing of allegations against him. Under the Boston archdiocese's new "zero tolerance" policy, a priest is removed from his position after a credible allegation of abuse. Priests want to know what defines a "credible allegation," and who makes the ultimate determination, said the Rev. Paul Kilroy, a member of the eight-man Boston Priests' Forum Leadership Committee. He said priests have been trying to get answers from the archdiocese for months, with few results; meanwhile, priests are on edge about false accusations. "It gets a little scary," said Kilroy, pastor at St. Bernard's Parish in Newton. "Anyone could drop a dime. I just keep thinking, what if someone's mad at me from 25 years ago?" "We've been in the dark and things are getting worse," he added. "Every week there's a new (priest removed), and some of them say they're innocent. ...It is it innocent until proven guilty, or guilty until proven innocent?" Monsignor Michael Higgins, a canon law expert and the head of San Diego-based Justice for Priests and Deacons, said the archdiocese is breaking canon law by removing priests, sometimes within hours, before a full investigation. Canon law gives priests a right to a full defense, including representation and disclosure of all evidence and charges against them, he said. "They should start to follow a canonical process," Higgins said. "I don't agree with removing the person. It's only an allegation, you see, and anybody can make an allegation." Morrissey said the archdiocese is sensitive to priests' concerns about their rights, and will address them. Phil Saviano, regional director of the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, said worries about false allegations against priests are largely unfounded because the vast majority of allegations have proven credible. Saviano said the archdiocese's current policy works because quick removal of the priests is best for the safety of the children. In addition, he said, priests don't deserve the benefit of the doubt when an abuse claim is made, given the history of the Boston archdiocese. "I think they used up all their slack a long time ago," he said. Kilroy said priests simply want to make sure their legal rights are protected. "We don't deserve slack on it," Kilroy said. "I don't think that's what anyone wants. What we need is a clarification of the procedure." In other developments, lawyers for alleged victims of the Rev. Paul Shanley questioned Bishop Thomas V. Daily in Brooklyn on Monday. Rodney Ford, who attended the videotaped deposition and is the father of alleged victim Gregory Ford, said Daily had "no answer" for why he never forced Shanley into treatment after receiving numerous complaints. Daily was then a senior official in the Boston Archdiocese. "It's a disgrace what this person knew and how he handled it," Ford said of Daily. Attorney Roderick MacLeish, who represents the alleged victims, would not comment on the deposition. A spokesman for the Brooklyn Diocese, Frank DeRosa, said Daily "spoke honestly and openly based on his recollections of the events that took place some 20 years ago." DeRosa declined further comment. The deposition was to resume Thursday, and should conclude at the end of the day, MacLeish said. |
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