ALLOUEZ (WTAQ) – The Bishop of the Diocese of Green Bay has laid out plans to address clergy abuse allegations.
That plan includes seven “Action steps” that the diocese is taking towards accountability.
Those steps include:
1. Increasing and improving pastoral care.
2. Providing ways for people who are victims of abuse to share their story. “Provide as many ways as possible to provide victims the opportunity to come forward without fear,” Ricken said.
3. Listening to concerns through listening sessions throughout the diocese.
4. Making priests files available for review by the Independent Review Board
5. Expressing support to the U.S Conference of Catholic Bishops
6. Turning over all and any allegations of sexual abuse of minors
7. Suspending the current diocesan campaign to focus on the current issues.
“I believe that this is a much broader problem than just the Catholic Church, that it is more a human problem, but I am not taking anything away from us. We are expected to be above this and people hold us to high expectation.”
Bishop Ricken says those who know something need to say something.
“If we get an allegation of sexual abuse against a priest, we have to turn that in.”
The Bishops comments come just a day after Auxillary Bishop Robert Morneau withdrew himself from public ministry because of guilt on how he handled a case of a priest abusing a child in 1979.
“He mishandled the allegation of abuse. Bishop Morneau felt at the time that he was doing what was asked of him by helping the parties to reconcile.”Morneau will not celebrate mass or sacraments, but will instead spend time to corporal acts of mercy including feeding the hungry and clothing the naked.
Bishop Ricken has recently hosted listening sessions throughout the diocese and said he is noticing frustration and confusion.
“They are furious. They are made at the whole situation, I guess they are mad at me, but they were able to express themselves.”
Along with that, Bishop Ricken says priests have made some changes to protect themselves.
“Most priests have changed the way they are with children, so there is another adult present when they are with children.”
