Archbishop's web site Denver Catholic Register Parishes Catholic Pastoral Center
March 27, 2002
Denver district attorney satisfied with archdiocesan sexual misconduct policy
Policy requires all archdiocesan employees to report abuse, including clergy
By Roxanne King
Denver District Attorney Bill Ritter met with representatives of the Archdiocese of Denver March 20 to discuss its sexual misconduct policy and left praising the policy.
Although there are no such cases currently against the archdiocese, the national sex-abuse scandal involving Catholic clergy, chiefly in Boston where former priest John Geoghan was convicted of fondling a 10-year-old boy and is accused of molesting over 100 children, prompted Ritter to ask for the meeting, the district attorney said.
Ritter was joined by Stephanie Villafuerte, chief deputy district attorney. Archdiocesan officials included Francis Maier, archdiocesan chancellor; Msgr. Walker Nickless, a vicar general and former head of priest personnel; and Charles Goldberg, legal counsel for the archdiocese.
"We welcomed the opportunity for the district attorney to review our policy because we know we have a very proactive and sound policy," said archdiocesan spokesman Greg Kail.
Ritter characterized the meeting as "very positive."
The policy, which was adopted Sept. 8, 1991, requires that anyone working for the archdiocese must report to authorities any case of child abuse or neglect, even though Colorado statutes exempt clergy from having to report.
"The archdiocese borrowed that language from the statute and that's a good thing," Ritter said. "I'm very pleased with the written policy."
The archdiocesan officials assured Ritter that the policy is being enforced and emphasized that the safety of all children in the archdiocese is of paramount importance, Kail said.
Following the meeting, the archdiocese released a statement noting that the archdiocese operates a school system with over 14,000 children enrolled and regularly educates and sensitizes its employees regarding their reporting obligations. Additionally, it states that "every complaint that is registered is taken seriously and investigated thoroughly" by a team of experts.
Ritter offered his office's assistance in helping to train and assist school officials to recognize signs of abuse and to understand the criminal statutes and when to report.
"We were grateful for his offer and intend to pursue it," Kail said.
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