Gospel and professional standards

by Letters Editor · December 16, 2010

From: Fr Chris Townsend, Information Officer, Southern African Catholic Bishops� Conference

Procedures for dealing with complaints within the Catholic Church are not always as effective as they could be. However, Frank Bompas� letter (December 1) does ask for a clarification on a number of levels.

All complaints of unprofessional behaviour that relate to moral issues are handled by the bishop of a diocese. If there are civil or criminal cases, this process by the bishop is secondary to state law.

The bishop receives the complaint, appoints assessors if the complaint is deemed real, and then necessarily has to step out of the process�bishops as leaders cannot be investigators, prosecutors or defenders. Their role as governors makes them judges and they rely on those they appoint, be they vicars-general, judicial vicars, deans or professional conduct committee delegates.

These procedures are governed by canon law, various codes of professional conduct, such as the �Protocol for the investigation of complaints of sexual abuse of minors by clerics�, and agreed standards of behaviour such as the Southern African Catholic Bishops� Conference (SACBC) document �Integrity in Ministry�.

In this, the Church is attempting to comply with the expectations of gospel and professional standards.

In my experience as a priest and as a member of the professional conduct committee of the SACBC, the issues that are not moral issues�such as clerical bad behaviour�are often not dealt within a gospel or professional manner at all, by both complainant and respondent.

We are reminded that Jesus has given us a procedure for dealing with issues�Mathew 18:15-17.

I wonder why we so seldom go one-on-one and discuss issues we have with our priests. Most Catholics prefer to moan and move on. It has been seldom in my life as� a priest that people have been brave enough to come and talk to me directly about how I might have offended them.

Following the gospel procedure of escalation, once again the idea of approaching an offending person as a group�such as a sodality or pastoral council�rarely happens. Power games, territory disputes and one up(person)ship takes over; scores need settling and often reputations are casualties.

I know of a couple of brave bishops who have instructed secretaries that if there is no evidence of a proper procedure having taken place�approach as one, approach as a group, approach as a church�then the bishop will not deal with complaints until this is done.

Mr Bompas speaks of the Church not following reputable procedures. This is not my experience.