Diocesan
Review Board Members Ready to Respond to Calls
The members of the Board who deal
with sexual
abuse allegations in the Diocese of Owensboro are as follows: Mr. Larry
Abel (Chair), Ms. June Bell (Vice-Chair), Sr. Vivian Bowles, OSU, Ms.
Susan Clark,
Mr. William Craig, Jr., Dr. Carroll Howard, and Rev. Pat
Reynolds. Ms. Louanne Gelarden serves as the Bishop's liaison to
the Review Board.
Any person who wishes to communicate
with the
Diocesan Review Board is asked to call
the Catholic
Pastoral Center
at 1-270-683-1545 and ask to speak with a member of the Review
Board.
To speak with a particular member of
this Board,
tell the receptionist. In either case, the receptionist at the Catholic Pastoral Center
will give the caller’s information to a member of the Diocesan Review
Board for follow-up.
Callers may choose to remain
anonymous for
the initial call to the Catholic
Pastoral Center
receptionist. The phone numbers of the members of this Board will not
be made
public.
You may also contact the Board via email at
reviewboard@pastoral.org. Be sure to include your contact
information. No direct response will be given by email because
confidentiality is never guaranteed when using email. Follow-up
will be made by telephone.
Below are questions about
making a
report of sexual abuse to the Diocese of Owensboro.
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To
Report Or Not To Report
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- Why
does the Church require a diocesan review board?
- I am
afraid. What if someone finds out I called to report abuse?
- When
is it okay NOT to report abuse to the Church?
- I
live with someone who will not believe me if report it.
- I did
report it. I was not satisfied with what happened.
- Christian
morality teaches us to forgive and forget.
- I
want to find relief for the abuse I suffered from the Church. How do I
get that?
- The Charter for the
Protection of Children and Young People makes it mandatory in
each diocese.
- Their expertise is an invaluable
resource for bishops when assessing allegations of child abuse.
- Some victims may feel more
comfortable knowing that lay persons are involved when their case is
reviewed.
- Initially, all calls to the
Review Board, the Bishop, or the Victim Assistance Coordinator are
confidential.
- In some cases, the Diocese must
report your allegation to civil authorities. Civil authorities will
maintain confidentiality to the greatest possible extent. Neither
we nor civil authorities want harm to come to you when you file a
report.
- You always have the option to
report criminal behavior to civil authorities. Sometimes you have a
legal duty to do so.
- It is never a legal requirement
to report abuse to Church authorities. We want you to feel comfortable
with your decision, whether or not you decide to report your situation
to Church authorities.
- If you are the victim, do not
let it stop you from filing a report.
- If the victim is someone else,
please report it to civil authorities regardless of what your family
and friends may believe about the credibility of your claim.
- If you reported clergy abuse to
the Church and are dissatisfied, we are open to hearing your reasons,
whether or not you reported it in this diocese.
- If you are dissatisfied with
civil authorities, there are avenues of appeal within agencies and the
court system. We may be able to point you in the right direction.
- Forgiveness is indeed a
Christian principle. However, forgetting is not. Even when forgiveness
is granted, there may still be a need for healing, restitution, or
reparation.
- If you have forgiven your
abuser, but still feel dissatisfied, we may be able to refer you to a
counselor who can help you sort through your feelings.
I want to find relief from the abuse I
suffered from the Church. How do I get that?
- If you are a victim of clergy
abuse, or abuse by someone acting in the name of the Church, we want to
help you in whatever way we can. Please call the Victim Assistance
Coordinator, Rita Heinz, at (270) 683-1545.
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Last
updated 4/2007, Office of Safe Environment, The Roman Catholic Diocese
of Owensboro, Kentucky.
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