The Valley Catholic June 25, 2019 | Page 8

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COMMUNITY
June 25, 2019 | The Valley Catholic
Bishops OK Plan to Implement ‘Motu Proprio’ On Addressing Abuse
Continued from page 3
The metropolitan should report
any “conflict of interest or lack of
impartiality” brought to his attention
to the Vatican, including that of an
investigator.
The implementation plan says,
“Each province ought to determine
the appropriate means by which it will
establish a fund, should it choose to do
so, or how it will otherwise allocate
costs for the investigation of reports
received and for the pastoral care of
those who might have been harmed.”
“In furtherance of the presumption
of innocence enjoyed by the bishop,”
it says, “all appropriate steps are to
be taken to protect his reputation,
to assure the exercise of other rights
afforded him under canon law, and
to restore his good name when it has
been illegitimately harmed.”
A footnote in the plan said that “in
cases where the report concerns the
metropolitan, or the metropolitan see
is vacant,” the most senior bishop in
that province would be expected to
carry out the directives.
“Vos Estis Lux Mundi” “took con-
crete steps to eradicate the crime of
sexual abuse,” Bishop Deeley told his
fellow bishops June 11. But nothing the
U.S. bishops can do, he added, “can
derogate from the universal law” of
the church or otherwise restrict the
Vatican’s capacity to act.
In response to a question posted by
Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas, administra-
tor of the Diocese of Las Cruces, New
Mexico, Bishop Deeley said a metro-
politan cannot start an investigation
until directed to do so by the Vatican.
“The Holy See may decide that that
metropolitan is not the (proper) metro-
politan to do it, for whatever reason.”
Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley of Bos-
ton replied that “by our standards,
waiting a month before you could
begin an investigation is a far cry
from the usual practice (in the United
States) and could be seen as leav-
ing a situation that could endanger
young people,” and he wondered
aloud whether the U.S. bishops could
urge the Vatican to get investigations
started more quickly.
Other bishops raised concerns June
13 similar to those voiced by Cardi-
nal O’Malley. Bishop Deeley said the
“within 30 days” phrase in “Vos Estis
Lux Mundi” is “an accommodation to
parts of the world where communica-
tions are not as readily available as
they are here.”
Some bishops expressed a desire
to put an auditing system in place to
make sure the implementation plan
is working as intended. Bishop Dee-
ley acknowledged such plan details
could not be included in the document
because they need to be developed.
He reminded the bishops that the
“metropolitan plan” is one means to
report suspected abuse, but “not the
only means.”
MOVING FORWARD
Concrete Steps to Hold Bishops Accountable
1. What happened in Baltimore?
The USCCB voted on several proposals to hold
bishops accountable for instances of sexual
abuse of children or vulnerable persons, sexual
misconduct, or the intentional mishandling
of such cases. We specifically committed to
involving and utilizing lay professional experts.
We also established a new, independent
mechanism for the reporting of such cases.
4. Is this process transparent? What
will the public know about credible
complaints against individual bishops?
Pope Francis’s Motu Proprio includes
whistleblower protections that will allow
anyone making a complaint to publicize
it however they wish. The new Directives
require those making a complaint to be
given documents describing the process. As
noted, the bishops are also committed to lay
involvement in both the receiving of complaints
against bishops and in any investigations. With
these safeguards, the bishops are committed
to making the process as transparent as they
possibly can.
2. Isn’t the “Metropolitan Model” just
bishops policing bishops?
While we have seen Metropolitan
investigations achieve success in uncovering,
publicizing and punishing bishop misconduct
multiple times in the past year, the body of
bishops agreed in Baltimore that independent
lay oversight is crucial. The combination of
lay involvement, Metropolitan leadership and
the final judgment of the Holy See will ensure
that complaints are evaluated thoroughly, and
justice is achieved for victims and survivors.
5. Level with me: Will the policies
approved in Baltimore protect people
from abuse at the hands of bishops?
3. How exactly will the laity be involved?
We’re building upon the well-established
practice of lay expertise in the Church, starting
at the very beginning of this process. Laypeople
will assist us in informing the public about
how to utilize our new reporting mechanism.
A lay person will be informed any time a
complaint comes through that process. Lay
investigators will be identified at the provincial
level by Metropolitan Archbishops and will
play an active role in investigating individual
complaints against bishops.
We’ve achieved a goal stated by USCCB
President Cardinal DiNardo throughout the
process: We’ve filled the gaps in the Charter for
the Protection of Children and Young People
and now build upon its success. The Holy
Father’s Motu Proprio, the new Directives,
the renewed Episcopal Commitments, the
third-party reporting system, and the heavy
emphasis and reliance on lay expertise in
the United States will bring unprecedented
accountability throughout the hierarchy of the
American Church.
Copyright © 2019, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Washington, DC. All rights reserved.
Robain Lamba Prepares To Be Ordained a Transitional Deacon
By Liz Sullivan
Robain Lamba is one step closer; one
step closer to the Priesthood.
On July 6, Lamba will be ordained
a transitional deacon for the Diocese
of San Jose during a Mass at Our Lady
of Guadalupe Parish, 10 am. Lamba is
expected be ordained to the Priesthood
in the spring of 2020.
“I entered the seminary to answer
God’s call to follow after Him, and be-
come a fisher of men,” said Lamba. “To
get to this point in my journey to the
priesthood is a sign of God’s abundant
grace and faithfulness in my life. I feel
blessed and grateful.”
While the Diocese has some priests
from Africa, Lamba will be the first Af-
rican priest to be ordained for San Jose.
“I am very pleased that we are
ordaining Robain this summer,” said
Father Ritche Bueza, Director of Voca-
tions for the Diocese. “Although we
have some priests from Africa serving
our diocese, Robain will be the first
African to be ordained here.  I believe
this is another exciting moment for our
Diocese. If I may say, this is history.”
Lamba’s academic preparation for
the priesthood included a 10-week
trip to study in the Holy Land with
classmates and professors from the
University of Saint Mary of the Lake
in Mundelein, Ill., where he is studying
for the priesthood.
“This past academic year was a
special one for me,” said Lamba. “We
visited and prayed at holy sites such
as the Church of the Holy Sepulchre,
the Church of the Nativity, the Basilica
of the Annunciation, the Garden of
Gethsemane, the Dormition Abbey,
the Mount of Beatitudes, the Mount of
Olives, the Mount of Transfiguration,
Robain Lamba
the Tomb of the Patriarchs (Abraham,
Isaac, Jacob, Sarah, Rebecca), and so on.
We also studied Scripture there in the
Holy Land.”
For Lamba the next phase of his
formation in becoming a priest is very
important.
“I have an ardent desire to be con-
figured to Christ the Servant who came
not to be served but to serve,” he said.
“I hope to be a humble servant to all
by helping the Bishop and his body of
priests “in the ministry of the word,
of the altar, and of charity.” (Rite of
ordination of deacons).”
Said Bueza: “Robain is a very good
man. Like the (newly ordained) Fathers
John Hoang and Victor Trinidad, he too
has the heart of the Good Shepherd.
He is a man of prayer, a man of good
repute and full of spirit. We are very
fortunate to have Robain as a future
member of the presbyterate in service
of the Diocese of San Jose.”
Learn more about vocations in
the Diocese of San Jose, by visiting
www.dsj.org/vocations.
Photos and a story from the ordina-
tion will be featured in the August 20
issue of The Valley Catholic.