Or: Lay review boards: Cover them in crap and keep them in the dark.
Welcome to mushroom farming, Catholic style: the “lay review board.”
What is a lay review board? Well, in the United States, reviews boards were installed in every diocese – as well as a national review board – by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops. They are “confidential and consultative” boards who “review claims and make recommendations” to the bishop about the sexual abuse of children.
There has to be the perfect cliche about what they really are, but currently, it’s a toss-up between “smoke and mirrors” and “don’t look at the man behind the curtain.” In Europe, they have even less power, as we are seeing in recent events in Belgium.
But I digress. Right now, they are a bunch of do-nothings.
What is a lay review board? Well, in the United States, reviews boards were installed in every diocese – as well as a national review board – by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops. They are “confidential and consultative” boards who “review claims and make recommendations” to the bishop about the sexual abuse of children.
There has to be the perfect cliche about what they really are, but currently, it’s a toss-up between “smoke and mirrors” and “don’t look at the man behind the curtain.” In Europe, they have even less power, as we are seeing in recent events in Belgium.
But I digress. Right now, they are a bunch of do-nothings.
Let’s look at worldwide events involving review boards during the past six months:
- A former judge/member of the Los Angeles lay review board has acknowledged in the media and under oath he never called the cops when he learned about abusive priests. Hello?!! What law school did you go to, Richard Byrne?
- In Belgium, the archbishop’s office, plus his home and a tomb, were raided by the cops to get his secret sex abuse documents and the documents that belong to his special lay commission to investigate child sex abuse across Belgium.
- Current lay review board members here in Orange County (which include people whose job it is to protect kids like the CEO of the Foundation that runs the largest orphanage/childrens home in the county) have refused to demand that Tod Brown open his secret personnel files (you know, the naughty naughty files that live under lock and key in his office). Yes, he turned over SOME when the courts demanded it … but why aren’t they able to review the rest? Why don’t they ask?
- In Baker, Oregon, why are Catholics and board members demanding that the bishop turn over all documents about a controversial deacon who has been removed from two other dioceses for covering up abuse?
- Current board members in Boise, Idaho also swim in complacency. Why aren’t they raving mad that Bishop Michael Driscoll only suspended an abuser still in ministry when the newspaper exposed him?
- Why aren’t the Orange board members demanding the truth about the Boise cover up? I mean really – their bishop, TOD BROWN, was the schmuck who covered up for an abuser who recently re-offended. Isn’t that important? Who else has Brown covered up for?
- Oh yeah, I forgot: Brown also has an allegation of abuse against him. But I will bet you dollars to donuts that the lay review board hasn’t seen a single personnel document about Brown.
It’s enough to make you wonder – are they slipping roofies into the coffee at these board meetings? There’s no other way to explain the total lack of action.
Or maybe they are so covered in crap, they simply don’t know the difference anymore.
Here’s my take: if you are not a part of the solution, you’re part of the problem. It’s time for these boards to demand they are part of the solution.
Up next: My experience on a lay review board. It’s almost embarrassing.
… and some good news: Awesome brother-in-law George built me this great new web site. Thanks Web Mechanic!
I saw that you had no comments so far, so I thought I’d jump in. Do you mind if I’m an atheist?
Joelle,
I followed the link to this blog from the bishop accountability.org abuse tracker..
it took some effort to finally get to your remarks..
I really appreciate all you say
thanks for speaking out.