tvc.dsj.org | March 5, 2019
COMMUNITY
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Oakland Bishop: Publishing Priest-Abusers List an ‘Act Of Contrition’
By Catholic News Service
OAKLAND -- The Diocese of Oak-
land, which serves two California
counties in the East Bay area, published
February 18 a list of priests, deacons
and religious brothers who have
worked in the diocese and been cred-
ibly accused of abuse, dating back to
the diocese’s founding in 1962.
Bishop Michael C. Barber of Oak-
land, in releasing the list, said its
publication was an “act of contrition”
and an attempt to bring comfort to sur-
vivors of clergy abuse. “I hope this will
help bring healing to those who have
suffered. I renew our offer of counsel-
ing, therapy, support and outreach to
survivors,” he said in a February 18
statement.
Bishop Barber said he issued the
list with “a heavy heart,” but added
that it is a “living list” and would be
updated as needed. His intention is not
“to reopen the wounds of survivors, but
to declare, ‘We have nothing to hide,’”
he said.
The list totals 45 priests, brothers
and deacons.
“The only acceptable number is
‘zero,’” he added. “However, there are
right now more than 120 faithful, ac-
tive and dedicated priests serving our
500,000 Catholics in our two-county
diocese. We are on duty daily to serve
you. There has been no credible inci-
dent of abuse of a minor by a priest
or deacon of the Diocese of Oakland
since 1988.”
“I can assure that today,” Bishop
Barber added, “no priest or deacon who
is in active ministry in the Diocese of
Oakland has a credible allegation of
abuse of a minor.”
Of the 20 diocesan priests named on
the list, 14 are now dead. Of the other
six, all were removed from ministry,
the last ones in 2002, the year the clergy
sex abuse scandal broke in the Archdio-
cese of Boston.
One was excommunicated in 2008,
one was laicized in 2007, and three were
directed to lead lives of “prayer and
penance.” For the sixth, Father Thomas
Duong Binh-Minh, who was removed
from ministry in 2002, the list says,
“Last known location Concord, Calif.”
The list also contains 14 credibly ac-
cused men from religious orders -- 13
priests and one deacon -- three priests
who were ordained for other U.S. dio-
ceses, and eight brothers with credible
abuse allegations lodged against them.
These men, according to the diocese,
“were not under the control of the Dio-
cese of Oakland but may have lived or
worked here, going back to Jan. 13, 1962.”
The diocese added, “This list is
incomplete and based on the best in-
formation the diocese could discover.”
“Today’s list is just one milestone in
our efforts to investigate past abuses
and bring justice to survivors,” said a
February 18 statement from diocesan
chancellor Steve Wilcox, who was ap-
pointed by Bishop Barber to review
files and compile names. “We want
parents and families to know schools
and parishes in the Oakland Diocese
will always be safe, healthy and holy
places for our children.”
The list of names and facts regard-
ing the diocese’s efforts to protect chil-
dren and support survivors of abuse
was published in the February 18 issue
of The Catholic Voice, the diocesan
newspaper, and distributed to parishes
and Catholic schools in the diocese, in
both English and Spanish.
The list also was published elec-
t ron ically on bot h t he diocesa n
website, https://bit.ly/2TWFCAB,
and The Catholic Voice’s website,
www.catholicvoiceoakland.org.
The Oakland Diocese said it is one
of the first U.S. dioceses to work with
survivors of clergy sexual abuse to de-
velop support systems, going back to
the 1990s. The No More Secrets group
was formed in 2002, before passage of
the U.S. bishops’ “Charter for the Pro-
tection of Children and Young People,”
and continues to meet monthly.
The diocese requires anyone who
works with minors in the diocese --
whether clergy, laity or volunteers -- to
undergo a criminal record check and to
receive training in recognizing preda-
tory behavior and how to ensure safe
environments for children. Everyone
is required to undergo training every
three years; more than 33,000 individu-
als have received this training in the
past three years.
Editor’s Note: The complete list post-
ed at www.catholicvoiceoakland.org
includes photos of the 20 diocesan
priests with credible abuse allegations
against them.
Summit Affirms Need to Hold Bishops Accountable, U.S. Cardinal Says
Continued from page 3
much responsibility over to laypeople,
Cardinal DiNardo said, “in our propos-
als the work of the laity is to collaborate
-- that’s pretty important” -- and almost
all the speakers at the summit insisted
on the need to involve laypeople in the
process.
The ideal, Cardinal DiNardo said,
is to ensure the lay board has a certain
“independence without losing being
part of the church.”
In a statement issued later, the
cardinal said the U.S. bishops would
intensify their guidelines for handling
abuse allegations.
He also noted that at the summit “a
range of presenters, from cardinals to
other bishops to religious sisters to lay-
women, spoke about a code of conduct
for bishops, the need to establish spe-
cific protocols for handling accusations
against bishops, user-friendly report-
ing mechanisms, and the essential role
transparency must play in the healing
process.”
“Achieving these goals will require
Bishop Oscar Cantú met with representatives of various religious congregations of men
that serve in the Diocese of San Jose on February 15 at the Chancery. Joining the Bishop
were Vicar General Monsignor Francis Cilia and Anthony Gonzalez, Director for the Office
of the Protection of Children and Vulnerable Adults.
the active involvement and collabora-
tion of the laity,” he said. “A compre-
hensive range of skills is required to
assess allegations and to ensure that
local policies and procedures are
regularly reviewed so that our healing
response continues to be effective.”
On a more global level, Cardinal
DiNardo told CNS, the summit seemed
to be effective in getting all the world’s
bishops on the same page in placing
victims and survivors at the center of
the church’s concern, rather than the
church’s reputation and its personnel.
The focus on victims was not simply
a slogan, he said. In the general sessions
and small groups there was discussion
of “ways in which we can show that:
ways of repentance, ways of moving
forward, ways of compassion, ways of
accompaniment.”
“As always, what is striking are
the statements, the witnessing of the
victims,” he said, as was the attention
Sister Veronica Openibo, leader of the
Society of the Holy Child Jesus, drew
to the issue of violence against women
and women religious.