Denver Catholic

2 FEBRUARY 23-MARCH 8, 2019 | DENVER CATHOLIC Archbishop's Page Archbishop's Column Most Rev. Samuel J. Aquila @ArchbishopDen Feb. 18 Seeking healing and justice for survivors L ast year I made a prom- ise that the Archdiocese of Denver would be transpar- ent about our handling, prevention and response to the sexual abuse of minors by priests. We have been working to continue to deliver on that promise, and this week has brought forth two fruits of that e• ort. After months of dialogue with Col- orado's former and current Attorney General, the three dioceses of Colo- rado have voluntarily entered into a joint agreement that will result in an independent review of priest person- nel fi les. This review will be entrusted to an independent "special master," former United States Attorney Robert Troyer, who will comb through the fi les to determine which priests have received substantiated allegations of sexual abuse against a minor. Those who fi t this description will then have their names made public in a report. This will also be an important opportunity for an honest and fair evaluation of our historical handling of the sexual abuse of minors by priests and for a review of our current policies and procedures. We are confi - dent in our track record over the past few decades, the steps we have taken to address this issue and that there are no current accusations against any of our priests. At the same time, we hope this announcement will move anyone who has been harmed to come forward. The Archdiocese of Denver and the Attorney General's o† ce were able to reach this agreement because we share common goals: justice and healing for survivors, accountability, transparency and the need for the facts about our track record to be more widely known. I also hope that this independent fi le review will help bring justice to our 300 active priests, whose fruitful and sacrifi cial ministry is too often unfairly tarnished by the sins of a small group of priests that came before them. It is worth noting that our priests have been supportive and instrumental in the process of imple- menting the safe environment proto- cols that have made our parishes and ministries far safer than they were prior to 2002. In conjunction with the indepen- dent fi le review, the three Colorado dioceses are also launching a survivor compensation program like the e• ort undertaken by Archbishop Chaput in 2006. While the archdiocese has been assisting victims for years, I strongly desired to extend this outreach fur- ther to try to bring some measure of healing to those who have been harmed. The damage infl icted upon young people and their families by sexual abuse, especially when it's committed by a trusted person like a priest, is profound. And while money can't heal wounds, it can acknowledge the evil that was done and help restore peace and dignity to the survivors. The survivor compensation program will be administered by a national mediation expert, Mr. Ken- neth Feinberg, and his colleague, Ms. Camille Biros. Mr. Feinberg and Ms. Biros will receive allegations from those who were abused as minors by priests or bishops and will impartially determine what assistance is needed to help these survivors. Their work will be entirely independent of the archdiocese and will be overseen by an independent committee of respected Coloradans and national experts. The chairman of that com- mittee will be former U.S. Senator Hank Brown. It's important for Catholics to know that the costs of this program will be covered by archdiocesan assets and reserves. No funds from ministries or charities at your parish, the Archbishop's Catholic Appeal, or Catholic Charities will be used for this program. While this process will certainly include painful moments and cannot ever fully restore what was lost, I pray that it will at least begin the healing process. Despite the sins of the Church's members, we must remember that Jesus is the ultimate source of heal- ing for every wound. The words of St. Mother Teresa, who spent her life caring for the su• ering, come to mind. "Bring all your su• ering to [Jesus] … only open your heart to be loved by Him as you are. He will do the rest." ARCHBISHOP'S SCHEDULE FEB. 24: Mass Installation of Fr. James Spahn, St. John Paul II, Thornton (10:00 a.m.) FEB. 24: Catholic Families Night with the Denver Nuggets, Pepsi Center (3:00 p.m.) FEB. 28: 5th Grady Liturgy, Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, Denver (10:00 a.m.) MAR. 2: Transitional Diaconate Ordination, Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, Denver (10:00 a.m.) MAR. 3: Confi rmation Mass, St. Joseph, Ft. Collins (2:00 p.m.) MAR. 9: Rite of Election, Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, Denver (12:00 p.m.) PLEASE VISIT archden.org/promise FOR UPDATES ON THE FULL THE DETAILS OF THE FILE REVIEW AND SURVIVOR COMPENSATION PROGRAM. The Church that Jesus Christ founded truly is a Community that is More Than You Realize. Watch this video and see for yourself! Please share with your friends, family and community! mtyr.org +sja The Archdiocese of Denver and the Attorney General's o† ce were able to reach this agreement because we share common goals: justice and healing for survivors, accountability, transparency and the need for the facts about our track record to be more widely known." ARCHBISHOP SAMUEL J. AQUILA " PHOTO BY DANIEL PETTY

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