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Diocese to focus on protecting youth

A year after a statewide grand jury revealed the scope of child molestation among the ranks of Roman Catholic clergy in Altoona and stressed that allegations were mishandled by former church leadership, diocese spokesman Tony DeGol said Bishop Mark Bartchak will soon announce his plans for turning the Altoona-Johnstown Diocese into a leader in youth protection.

“Over the past year, Bishop Bartchak has devoted much of his time to collaborating with a diverse group of stakeholders to develop a new comprehensive approach that will help to make the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown a leader in the field of youth protection. We will be announcing the product of these efforts in the near future,” DeGol wrote in an email.

“The release of the grand jury report was heartbreaking for all Catholics, and it was especially painful for the survivors of sexual abuse and their loved ones. Our thoughts and prayers are with them today and always,” DeGol wrote.

The report issued on this date last year named dozens of clergy who went virtually unpunished or uninvestigated by police.

It stressed that state laws prevent prosecution now of those predator priests who may still be alive, and it blamed the diocese’s allegations review board as a tool used to cover up allegations instead of helping victims.

A victims’ organization today is protesting the diocese’s retention of personnel who formerly comprised that allegations review board. Although condemned by grand jury investigators, the board had been established in 2002 to correspond with the Charter for the Children and Youth Protection adopted by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests will hold a demonstration at 11 a.m. today outside of Altoona-Johnstown diocesan headquarters, 927 S. Logan Blvd.

Current diocese education director Sister Donna Marie Leiden was coordinator of youth protection at the time of the board. Also on the board were parish priest the Rev. Joseph W. Fleming and Jean Johnstone, who continues to serve in a victim assistance role.

SNAP spokeswoman Judy Jones said the organization is upset that the diocese continues to rely on those individuals. Jones admits that SNAP officials don’t know them personally, but they think they should be removed because of the board’s history documented in the grand jury report.

Jones also said the only time the group had tried to speak with the diocese about their concerns was during a demonstration at the diocese office. The doors were locked.

The group also takes issue with the fact that the Rev. John Byrnes, who exercised the Fifth Amendment when the grand jury called him for testimony, maintains his position as diocese judicial vicar.

DeGol didn’t directly address questions about SNAP’s complaints about Byrnes and the members of the former board.

He added that the diocese has learned from the past.

“We cannot change the past, but we have certainly learned from it. In that spirit, Bishop Bartchak is focused on the present and the future. He remains committed to the safety and protection of all children and youth in diocese, and he pledges continued support to those who have been harmed. As always, we urge anyone with any information concerning the sexual abuse of minors to report it to authorities immediately,” DeGol wrote.

Some victims who have come forward since the grand jury report was issued continue to seek settlements from the diocese.

Attorney Mitchell Garabedian on Tuesday said he continues to work with the diocese on gaining a settlement for a 35-year-old man who said he was abused as a teenager by Stephen Baker, a Franciscan friar, whose history of abuse surfaced in 2013 and sparked the grand jury investigation of the whole diocese, which culminated in the report.

Garabedian said he’s been working with the diocese since November to reach a settlement for his client.

“I’m still working with the diocese,” Garabedian said. “Hopefully we can reach a resolution.”

Like the vast majority of incidents listed in the grand jury report, his client’s allegations are beyond the state’s statute of limitations for civil or criminal prosecution.

Garabedian said the diocese is “not budging” in regard to offering a settlement that he said meets his client’s needs.

“They have a moral imperative to help victims gain a degree of healing,” Garabedian said.

One civil lawsuit against the diocese was filed in the summer by two sisters against the diocese, two past bishops and the Rev. Charles Bodziak, who was named in the grand jury report. However, the diocese responded to it in October by claiming the statute of limitations has passed and Bodziak denied the allegations.

On Tuesday, the women’s attorney, Richard Serbin, said an argument is scheduled for April 24 before Blair County Judge Jolene Kopriva to decide whether his clients have a viable case for circumventing the statute of limitations.

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