On Wednesday, Sept. 21, local reporters informed the Diocese of Helena that a press conference had taken place at a Helena hotel. The main focus of the conference was allegations of child abuse, said to have taken place decades ago and mostly at the historic mission school in St. Ignatius, Mont. The school was staffed by the Oregon Province of Jesuits and the Ursuline Sisters, a community of women religious.

The press conference and related materials were replete with inflammatory rhetoric and sweeping allegations presented by plaintiff lawyers with calculated intentions in mind: to try the case in the court of public opinion by a selective misrepresentation of facts; to raise up potential claimants; and to implicate the Diocese of Helena in new litigation. Subsequently, an amended complaint was filed, as well as a second lawsuit.

By way of background, it is important for the reader to note that:

  1. The allegations in question took place between 35 and 60 years ago.
  2. All Jesuit defendants listed in this suit are deceased, except for one presently in assisted living/nursing care.
  3. The amended complaint and the second lawsuit name deceased priests of the Diocese of Helena.
  4. The Oregon Province of Jesuits, based in Portland, Ore., already has paid $166 million to over 500 claimants from its schools and missions, including the majority of the claimants named in this complaint.

To be sure, the cases recently presented raise critical and complex legal matters to be addressed preliminarily, including issues of vicarious liability, diocesan responsibility for entirely separate religious organizations, statutes of limitations and Jesuit bankruptcy issues, among others, all of which will best be addressed by those with legal expertise. In making those determinations, however, no stone will be left unturned.

In their efforts to stir up public mistrust of the Diocese of Helena, the law firms involved raise pastoral and policy questions that I want to address directly from the perspective of the Diocese of Helena.

The beginning point is simple and uncomplicated: We view child abuse not only as a grave moral offense, but also as a crime to be investigated and prosecuted by law enforcement officials.

We heartily subcribe to the words of the late Pope John Paul II, who said that “there is no place in the priesthood and religious life for those who would harm the young.” Period.

For the past decade, the Diocese of Helena has had in place aggressive policies and procedures aimed at addressing and preventing child abuse in our jurisdiction.

Our emphasis is on comprehensive education, screening, criminal background checks and training for all paid workers and volunteers, and on safe-environment training for the young. We have in place a reporting telephone number and a designated victim’s coordinator, all designed to protect our children and youth.

A review committee that regularly oversees the administration of these policies and programs consists of community representatives, including a deputy county attorney, a former highway patrol officer, mental health counselors, a social worker and parents.

Annually, an independent audit firm reviews the entire diocesan program. Our most recent audit, completed in early September, found the Diocese of Helena once again in compliance with the Dallas Charter and national safe-environment policies.

In taking responsibility for our own diocesan cases, our diocese has paid out over $9 million, over the past two decades, to victims of child abuse and their lawyers. When I was appointed here as bishop just seven years ago, the Diocese of Helena was on the brink of financial insolvency. The diocese still is in recovery mode.

As I have listened personally to survivors’ heart-wrenching stories, I have been saddened by their reports of shattered innocence, broken trust, and the spiritual and psychological toll that abuse takes on innocent victims at the hands of abusive church personnel.

Words cannot adequately express our sorrow or convey the depth of our apology.

On a global scale, the Catholic Church and certain segments of its leadership have been the object of well-deserved scorn and mistrust for the way individual instances of child abuse have been handled or, more accurately, mishandled.

While we cannot rewrite history, we can hope that our present-day efforts will prevent future generations from experiencing the same tragedies of yesteryear.

Our prayer is that Christ the Divine Physician will heal the wounds both in church and society that have been visited upon the young through the scourge of child abuse, and bring us all to a new and brighter day.