Trust is difficult to rebuild following Croteau caseDate: 5/28/2021 Sitting in the press conference last week about the Danny Croteau murder case made me very angry and very sad.
I cannot imagine what the family has felt for the past 49 years, especially when the man long thought to have something to do with the murder was not only considered a family friend but also presided over his victim’s funeral.
The depths of his evil was limitless.
District Attorney Anthony Gulluni should be praised for taking on the case, looking at the evidence with fresh eyes and modern technology, as well as having a State Police detective spend 11 hours with Richard Lavigne to acquire additional evidence.
The Hampden County DA did the right thing by justice and the victims.
I realize that Lavigne did not confess. He danced around it. It was clearly his way to express his contempt. He would not give the authorities or the family the relief that would come with a full confession.
We have seen how in government, law enforcement and the clergy the effects of broken trust. We have seen how the actions of a bad police officer/elected official/ or member of the cloth can erode the confidence in all of the people serving the public in those ways.
Trust can appear to be a very strong emotional factor in our lives, but once it is broken it is very difficult to rebuild.
We have to walk quite a thin line today: on one hand, trust is an essential way society binds together, but on the other we have to be aware that trust could be broken and we must prepare ourselves for the outcomes from that situation.
The diocese must work to rebuild that trust. It probably won’t be easy and may take quite a long time to do so. The problem is how does one rebuild an organization in which this type of crime – abusing children – was so widespread and even part of the leadership.
Bishop William Bryne sent a letter out to the Catholic community on May 24. It read in part: “Since my arrival in the Diocese of Springfield, I have been committed to transparency and communication particularly with regard to the scandal of the sexual abuse of minors by clergy, religious and lay church staff. It is an open wound that has remained for far too long.
“Today I am writing to address these painful sins and crimes that have broken countless hearts, shattered lives and have cast a dark shadow over our Church.
“In recent months I have met with many survivors and family members. I have heard from these courageous individuals that the way the diocese responded to their reports of abuse was re-traumatizing and re-victimizing. As your bishop, please accept my sincere apology and my commitment towards working to regain your trust. I am fully committed to doing all that I can to change the culture of the diocese.
“With that in mind, I am announcing a significant development in our commitment to transparency and accountability here in the Diocese of Springfield. The diocese is expanding its criteria for disclosure of all those with a finding of credibility of sexual abuse of a minor while serving in the diocese.
“An allegation is deemed to be credible if there is reasonable cause to believe that the sexual abuse occurred. It is most similar to a grand jury indictment in our legal system. While it is not a definitive finding of guilt, the public acknowledgement of those credible allegations is a critically important action that the diocese owes to those survivors who have so courageously stepped forward.
“The new list will now include posthumous allegations deemed to be credible by either the Diocesan Review Board or its predecessor, the Misconduct Commission. An updated version of the disclosure document will be posted to diospringfield.org in early June.
“This will result in a considerable addition to the list which previously appeared on our diocesan web site. Many of these credible allegations were previously excluded from our list because the accused was deceased when the allegation surfaced, was a member of a religious order, or were lay employees of the diocese.
“It is important to note that these are not new allegations. Rather these findings date back many years.
“Prior to this release, the Office of Safe Environment and Victim Assistance conducted a thorough review of all cases to assure we were applying the same standard for names now being listed. To ensure that the process was rigorous and consistent, an independent review was conducted by Dr. Raina Lamande, a forensic psychologist, faculty member and researcher from the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth. Going forward, the names of additional individuals found to have credible claims of sexual abuse of minors will be added to the list, based on new information or a new evaluation by the Diocesan Review Board.
“I encourage anyone who has been the victim of sexual abuse by clergy or any personnel of the diocese, to report this directly to law enforcement as well as to the Office of Safe Environment and Victim Assistance at (413) 452-0624, through our confidential toll-free number (800) 842-9055, or by email to reportabuse@diospringfield.org.”
He concluded by writing, “As we make ongoing changes to our policies and procedures, we also need to engage spiritually to cast out this evil. I invite you to join me for a Holy Hour for all whose lives have been impacted by the abuse crisis on Thursday, June 3 at 7 p.m. at St. Michael’s Cathedral. I also strongly encourage all parishes to hold similar devotional services.
“I pray fervently first and foremost for all survivors of sexual abuse, living and deceased, whose burden no person should ever have to bear. I also ask for God’s forgiveness of our Church’s past failures and that God will guide us in our continued resolve to effect the actions necessary for healing and the determination to bring about meaningful and sustainable change.”
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