I know how grieved all of you are about the existence of pedophilia in our church here in the United States and specifically among some clergy. We have been humbled and saddened by this intolerable situation. We all know that we must face up to the challenge squarely and honestly. We must assess what we have learned from our experiences in the last decades and what we must do to give our faithful the assurance they desire that this situation will not be repeated in the future.

Here in the archdiocese we were forced to confront the question of pedophilia more than 15 years ago. In 1988 we created Project Benjamin, a group composed predominantly of lay people from the community, to help us realistically confront this problem, and especially to deal compassionately with victims. They have helped us put into place policies for dealing with allegations and perpetrators. At this moment we judge it would be prudent to examine how well those policies have functioned and their results. We must look at the safeguards we have in place to give assurance that we are acting accountably.

Concern for the well-being of victims is and has been our top priority. We want to make sure that victims encounter a caring church and that they receive the best in therapy. Project Benjamin has been of extraordinary help in caring for victims. I feel that we have done well through that office in responding to victims who came forward. We want to continue such pastoral care. One of the unexpected benefits of the enormous publicity that has been generated recently around the country is that it has encouraged more victims from the past to ask for help. We welcome that fact.

Most of all, we are eager to protect our children and teens. Our policies begin with the assumption against permitting priests so accused from serving in a pastoral setting. Since our policies have been evolving over this past decade, I feel it would be wise to reexamine their effectiveness in the light of the knowledge acquired here and around the nation. To make sure we have not acted unwisely or imprudently in particular cases, I will appoint this week a special task force of people from the community to examine our policies and how they have been implemented in individual cases over the past two decades.

This task force will be composed of a chairperson and four members, two coming from the members of Project Benjamin. They will have access to individual case files and will be given other information they deem important to their work or that may be of special concern to them. If their work is completed before my retirement (which happens this April), I will accept the recommendations they make and implement the decisions recommended by them. Otherwise, I will hand over the report to my successor for his prudent judgment.

We will continue our extensive testing of candidates for the priesthood and expanded formation in the area of sexuality. I want to thank the Office for Project Benjamin which has been most helpful in this regard.

We know, however, that as a church we have to study more in depth how these sad situations came about. In doing so, we can become a stronger church. This unfortunate period in our history has much to teach us about human sexuality, about the power of the clerical collar, about the vulnerability of our children and teens, about the pain of victims. It is my hope that we will discuss all of these subjects more in depth with the best professionals in the areas involved so we can become a more vital and effective church.

Project Benjamin office, the archdiocesan response to sexual abuse, page