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The newly established Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program (IRCP) of the archdiocese is welcomed by the archdiocesan offices that administer the safe environment program and assistance to victim-survivors of sexual abuse as minors by clergy of the archdiocese.
“So many of our child protection efforts are forward looking, dealing with problems that may exist now, and then protecting children in the future,” said Edward Mechmann, director of the safe environment program. “This is one of those opportunities to look back, to think of those who were hurt by sexual abuse in the past, and then just extending a helping hand to them, and showing them some kindness.”
The mission of the archdiocese’s safe environment program is to ensure the safety of children and young people who have been entrusted to the archdiocese’s care in parishes, schools, religious education classes and other programs.
Sister Eileen Clifford, O.P., a victims’ assistance coordinator who also serves as a vice chancellor for the archdiocese, believes the IRCP will be beneficial for victims in that it will likely bring healing, not just money.
“I’m sure they will be receptive to it,” she said. “They’ll follow through, if they want to, by applying, and that would be the procedure for them to do.”
Among the roles of the victims’ assistance coordinators in that office is to respond promptly to persons who contact the archdiocese concerning sexual abuse of a minor by a cleric and offer to meet with them. The purpose of the meeting is to acknowledge the allegation, empathetically listen to the alleged victim, and inform the individual of the help that is available and the procedures of the investigation.
“I’m very grateful to be able to have this opportunity to work with the victims, and to be alert to and attentive to their needs,” Sister Eileen said.
Her role as a woman religious is integral in her work. “I’m a Sparkill Dominican, and we believe in truth and justice. And I’m very conscious of that justice,” continued Sister Eileen, especially as it relates to victims, “and also listening to the truth and addressing the truth as to what did happen.”
The IRCP will bolster the work of the safe environment program through an enhanced awareness of the issue, “which is always good,” Mechmann said. “People should not get complacent or think that the problem has been solved. This is an ongoing concern that we have. Vigilance is always required. It’s just like we see in the broader world: ‘if you see something, say something,’ which means you have to be looking for things.
“Anything that raises people’s awareness of the reality of the problem helps us with our future efforts. I think it will help our office a lot.”
At the same time, the new program poses a challenge to the safe environment office, “to show people again how serious we are about this, the kinds of efforts that we’re making.”
“It’s always a challenge to us to make sure that we’re doing the best we can, and we expect people to hold us to that—that we should be doing the best we can,” Mechmann said.
Mechmann, who is also an attorney and director of public policy for the archdiocese, hopes people do not misunderstand the intention of the IRCP.
"We’re doing this because it’s the right thing,” he said. “We’re not doing this to influence legislation or to quiet the press or anything like that—we can’t control that. What we can control, though, is how we deal with people who’ve been hurt. And we want to make sure that they see the loving side of the Church.”
Four retired NYPD detectives or ranking officers were hired this past spring to tap into their “well-trained instincts” about “what are the potential areas we have to be careful of—it’s almost like patrol,” Mechmann said.
For the parish visitation project, the safe environment office provides the retired NYPD personnel surveys, which they use to interview pastors, directors of religious education and others to ensure safe environment policies and procedures and related paperwork are in proper order at parishes and schools, and that all are in compliance, Mechmann said.
They also examine facilities for physical issues, such as poor lighting and inadequate exits, as well as the mixture of minors with outside populations.
They are also asked to look for “dead zones,” Mechmann said, “areas that are not open to scrutiny—stairwells, maintenance halls, places where people (could potentially) take kids and be alone with them.”
Security cameras are also assessed—“not just do they have them, but is anybody monitoring them?” Mechmann said.
Results to date are impressive, according to Mechmann. It has proven to him that people in the parishes are “serious about this—they’re aware of the program, they’re aware of the way to implement it,” he said of safe environment.
The parish visitation project is “collaborative and consultative,” Mechmann said. “So far, what we’re hearing back is that people at the local level appreciate it. They’re learning, we’re learning.”
The safe environment program is audited every year; an on-site audit is conducted every three years. The next is scheduled for December.
“Our reports this year are very similar to the reports we’ve filed every year,” Mechmann said. “We’ve been successful in our audits every year. The auditors have given us good suggestions, and we’ve responded to that.”
Winning back the people’s trust from the clerical abuse crisis is difficult, Mechmann concedes, particularly from those who felt betrayed by the priests they trusted as well as by the archdiocese, “whether because of our own issues or because of issues across the country.”
“I think we’ve made great strides,” he said.
Mechmann credits both Cardinal Dolan and his predecessor, the late Cardinal Edward Egan, for making the safe environment program “part of the regular course of business, of everybody.”
Information: http://archny.org/safe-environment-program and http://archny.org/victims-assistance-coordinators.
