Bishop Sylvester Ryan promises that the Diocese of Monterey will follow new church rules on sexual abuse.

Photo by Michelle Caldwell.

Photo: Bishop Sylvester Ryan addressed church members at Madonna del Sasso parish in Salinas Monday evening.

In April, Bishop Sylvester Ryan told the Weekly that there had been no cases of sexual abuse by clergy in the Diocese of Monterey during his tenure. Speaking with apparent sincerity, he expressed sympathy for the victims and a clear understanding of the general problem. But he denied that the problem existed here at home.

"Nothing has been recent," he''d said. "There were reports of ''well, I was abused 20 years ago.''"

In June, the Herald reported that, in fact, nine cases of sexual abuse in the diocese dating from as recently as 1994 had been turned over to the D.A.

On Monday, August 19, Ryan met in Salinas with members of the community to address the troubling accusations of secrecy within the confines of the Church, both nationally and locally.

Monday''s forum was arranged so Ryan could deliver a report about the June meeting in Dallas of representatives of the thirteen regions of the Roman Catholic Church in the U.S., which he attended. Ryan''s recitation of the particulars of the meeting began like forced prose from an indoctrinated follower, the stoicism piercingly evident. But as he let go of his format and spoke from his heart to the anxious and deafeningly silent crowd awaiting answers, Ryan''s message became clear, his motivation and sentiment crystalline: The Church-this Church, every one of his Churches-is standing up against predators of children.

Ryan''s stand, handed down from the Conference of Catholic Bishops in what is known as a Charter, was formally adopted in Dallas and has been reduced to a directive of 17 Articles under four main categories consisting of rules, regulations and procedures to be followed if and when accusations of sexual abuse surface.

Ryan did not mention the fact that the recommendations demand a change in the way his own diocese handled its sexual abuse cases.

Ryan says the goal of the first mandate, "To Promote Healing and Reconciliation with Victims/Survivors of Sexual Abuse of Minors," is "to be there to deal with the harm and devastation of having been abused by someone of such trust."

Ryan admitted that many survivors never re-enter religious life to get that help. "They never get over the trauma," he said. "Their faith is shattered."

He recounted his experience in Dallas when four survivors of sexual abuse by clergy spoke openly about their abuse. "It was very emotional," he recalled. "It was a heavy session. We all just sat and listened."

The Charter goes on to direct that a diocese "will not enter into confidentiality agreements except for grave and substantial reasons..."

Curiously, in explaining this directive, Ryan seemed to defend such gag-rules, telling the assembled community that confidentiality agreements are quite common in any type of lawsuit. In fact, they''re rather rare according to a local attorney.

Ryan acknowledged that the secrecy that has seemingly run rampant throughout the Church-the moving of priests from diocese to diocese after allegations of abuse and the paying out of secret settlements-has "created confusion and distrust." He went on to say that the secrecy has "not only inhibited healing but enabled abusers to continue the abuse."

The Charter also directs the Church''s leaders to "Guarantee an Effective Response to Allegations of Sexual Abuse of Minors," which simply means complying with its already-existent legal obligation to report allegations of sexual abuse. Ryan says the diocese will respond to accusations by letter or phone call "If we have a sense that it''s credible."

Ryan says the diocese has cooperated with the district attorney''s office in the "many discussions" that have taken place and that the diocese has "provided all files that the District Attorney has asked for."

The Charter also dictates that every act of sexual abuse "past, present or future" result in the offender being permanently removed from his post. Ryan described the "past" part of that directive as "a very difficult thing."

He used an example of "a single offense 20 or 30 years ago" where a priest, under the previous policy, would have been put through a program of rehabilitation and psychological evaluations for a determination of fitness to remain in the priesthood. Then, if all was well, the priest continued on in his career.

But that notion is not supported by statistical information on sexual recidivism. The National Sexual Violence Databank''s conclusion is that the majority of offenders are not one-time-only abusers. That''s probably why the Church is demanding the new approach: One strike and you''re out.

Ryan says that of the roughly 250 known offenders within the Church, those who would be deemed pedophiles are rare. Instead, Ryan used terms like "sexual immaturity" and "sexual acting out" to describe offenders. The third section within the Charter is "To Ensure the Accountability of Our Procedures." For that, the Church will maintain oversight committees to ensure the implementation of all policies and procedures within the Charter.

Finally, the Charter seeks "To Protect the Faithful in the Future."

Encompassed within that section is the Church''s desire to create a safe environment for parishioners, including fingerprinting and background checks of anyone dealing with children.

In the end, the sentiment of the evening was that the meeting was necessary and productive. Questions were answered, and the distinction was laid out between faith and disdain for acts by the minority.

Gail Bordenkircher, a member of Madonna del Sasso parish in Salinas, expressed hopes that the Church, nationally and locally, will no longer tolerate abusers.

"They ought to be suspended, prosecuted and put in jail," she said. "I''m a devout Catholic, yes. But I just won''t tolerate this."