JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – In a media conference this afternoon at the Diocese of Jefferson City’s main offices, Bishop Shawn McKnight outlined progress being made in the Diocese to address the impact of clergy sexual abuse.
In a prepared statement, which is available on the diocesan website, Bishop McKnight stated that bishops’ “active cover up or passive silence when clergy abusers were continued in the ministry or promoted in office gravely compromised the credibility of the hierarchy, and by extension, the whole Church. Whether we are individually guilty or not for the clergy sex abuse crisis plaguing our Church, … every bishop, including the Bishop of Rome, must face this moral catastrophe with their people and not separate from them.”
Stating “in matters as grave as sexual abuse, I know I should not make decisions alone or with a small group of clergy advisors,” Bishop McKnight pledged several steps to improve accountability and transparency in the Diocese. These actions include establishing protocols to respond to possible future allegations of abuse by Bishop McKnight, affirming the role of the Diocesan Review Board by expanding its membership, creating a lay council to advise him, re-establishing a council of priests and scheduling a Mass of healing.
Yesterday, Bishop McKnight asked the State Attorney general to review the Diocese’s files. This request follows a review conducted by retired FBI and law enforcement agents of all files of living clergy (priests and deacons) and seminarians of the Diocese. The firm confirmed the Diocese has no clergy in active ministry with violations of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, which was established by the US bishops in 2002.
The Diocese is already contracting with a licensed professional counselor and certified clinical trauma professional to serve survivors of abuse.
The bishop also announced that, in a review of the Pennsylvania grand jury report, diocesan staff discovered that John “Jack” Pender, who was listed in the report as having left the Diocese of Scranton in 1968, lived in Richland, Mo., during the decades of the 1970s and 1980s. He died in 2009.
The Diocese is seeking information about any inappropriate behavior toward children or vulnerable adults. More information about how to report abuse or seek help is available on the diocesan website.
“I look forward to working with survivors of all kinds of abuse, whether by clergy or others, to learn how best the Church might best respond to their needs as members of our spiritual family,” Bishop McKnight said.
