BISHOP NAMES MEMBERS

                                                       OF REVIEW BOARD

Bishop Thomas V. Daily of the Diocese of Brooklyn has announced the names of eight persons he has appointed to serve on a review board on sexual abuse of minors by clergy which he has established.

            Formed in accordance with the “Essential Norms for Diocesan/Eparchial Policies Dealing with Allegations of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Priests, Deacons and Other Church Personnel ,” approved by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and given a decree of  “recognitio” by the Vatican, the board functions as a confidential consultative body to the bishop.

            The nation’s bishops wrote the “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People” and the norms in the wake of the sex abuse scandal that unfolded last year

            According to the norms, the board is to consist of “at least five persons of outstanding integrity and good judgment in full communion with the Church.”

            Chosen to head the panel by Bishop Daily was Bernard G. Helldorfer. He is an attorney and a full professor at St. John’s University, Jamaica, where he chairs the Division of Criminal Justice and Legal Studies.

            The other appointees are Thomas A. DeStefano, Sister Veronica Greeley, O.P., Dr. Joann Heaney-Hunter, John J. Laffey, Dr. James J. Lynch, Msgr. Edward B. Scharfenberger and Luis A. Torres, Jr.

            “I am pleased that these outstanding individuals accepted my invitation to serve on this most important board,” Bishop Daily said.

            The members of the board, who will serve five-year terms, will contribute broad and varied professional experiences to the work they will be asked to address.

Mr. DeStefano is the retired executive director of Catholic Charities of the Diocese with an extensive background in child care and family services. He has been consulted widely on social service issues.

As the prioress of the Sisters of St. Dominic of Amityville from l989 to l995, Sister Veronica led a religious congregation that is deeply involved in the education of children in elementary and secondary schools.

Dr. Heaney-Hunter, an associate professor of theology and director of the University Core Curriculum at St. John’s University, is a lecturer and author with expertise in theology and the practice of Christian marriage and family life.

A former inspector and deputy chief of the New York City Police Department, which he served for 30 years, Mr. Laffey is the Police Commissioner of the City of Long Beach, L.I. He has academic degrees in criminal justice.

Dr. Lynch, a physician, is in private practice in adolescent, adult and forensic psychiatry. He is a former staff psychiatrist for the Office of Health and Mental Health of the New York City Human Resources Administration.

Appointed to the board after a polling of priests made him their choice, Msgr. Scharfenberger, the pastor of St. Matthias Church, Ridgewood, is a canon and civil lawyer and former Judicial Vicar of the Diocese. The norms say that at least one member of the board should be a priest who is “an experienced and respected pastor” of the Diocese.

Mr. Torres, an attorney, is deputy director of intergovernmental affairs for the New York City Department of Transportation. He taught at Xaverian High School in the late 1980s after graduation from Princeton University.

The bishops’ norms state the desirability of having the diocesan Promoter of Justice participate in the meetings of the review board. Msgr. William A. Varvaro, a canon lawyer and former Judicial Vicar, is assigned to that role. He is the pastor of St. Margaret’s Church, Middle Village.

Bishop Daily met with the board at its inaugural session in late December when the duties of the panel were outlined.

According to the norms, the board’s function may include:

---“Advising the bishop in his assessment of allegations of sexual abuse of minors and in his determination of suitability for ministry;

---“Reviewing diocesan policies for dealing with sexual abuse of minors; and

---“Offering advice on all aspects of these cases, whether retrospectively or prospectively.”

            The Diocese has followed a written policy on dealing with sex abuse allegations that went into effect in l987. In light of the bishops’ charter and norms, Bishop Daily formed a committee of clergy and laity to revise the policy. One of the board’s first functions is to review the revision, which will be completed by March 1, the date Bishop Wilton D. Gregory, president of the USCCB, chose for promulgating the norms.