SNAP and Voice of the Faithful aren’t satisfied with the Diocese’s action in the Krafcik incident and his subsequent (by 20 years) laicization.
On Monday, the diocese announced that the Vatican had defrocked Andrew Krafcik, 76, of Arlington, for a 1984 sex abuse conviction near Richmond. Krafcik served in limited ministry at a Fairfax parish for nearly 12 years after he was convicted.
The diocese has said no other victims have come forward with allegations of abuse by Krafcik. But Mark Serrano of Leesburg, a SNAP board member who was a victim of pastoral sexual abuse, said it’s foolish to assume there was only one victim without conducting an active investigation to seek others who may be reluctant to come forward.
“Some things are clear: A pattern of secrecy persists in the Diocese of Arlington, and victim outreach is woefully inadequate,” Serrano said. “Christ strapped on his sandals and walked the countryside to seek out the hurt, the sick and the wounded. … We are calling on Bishop Loverde today to strap on his sandals and seek out victims of clergy sexual abuse where they would likeliest be.”
At a minimum, Serrano said, Loverde should go the parishes where Krafcik served and urge people who may have been abused to contact police.
I don’t believe there is a pattern of secrecy in the Diocese or that victim-outreach has been woefully inadequate. In this climate, I don’t know how a Bishop could keep those issues a secret. Arlington has been extremely forthcoming with respect to past child sexual abuse. Quoting from this link,
[the late] Bishop Keating put in place diocesan Policy on the Protection of Children/Young People and Prevention of Sexual Misconduct and/or Child Abuse which was revised in 1993, 2000 and 2003 in light of the passage of the bishops’ Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People.
9 of the 891 diocesan and religious priests who have served in the diocese, or 1 percent, were accused of sexual abuse of minors by 11 victims. Of the nine priests, one was exonerated; two are deceased; one is retired without faculties; and the remaining five are no longer in ministry.
Mr. Krafcik must have been the one who was retired without faculties. He was laicized for an offense that occured twenty years ago. In Arlington, there not the terrible number of victims or repeat-offenders that there were in Boston and other parts of the country. I trust the Diocese and Bishop Loverde with respect to the information they’ve given the public about instances of child sexual abuse.
It wouldn’t serve any purpose for the Bishop to go to the parishes where Krafcik served to search for more victims. How does Mr. Serrano expect Loverde to do this? To speak at all the Masses on a weekend in each parish? That is absurd. There would be a public outcry unknown in the history of this Diocese. It would do much more harm than good. Instead of being viewed as a shepherd of the Diocese earnestly attempting to reach out to victims he would invite even more scrutiny. Everyone would ask themselves, “Why is he asking this at our parish unless he knows there are more victims?” The crisis of confidence in his leadership and spiritual fatherhood would be severe. The trust of many people in this Diocese would probably be unrecoverable.
Krafcik was a priest for about 45 years. He was most likely ordained in the Richmond Diocese. If there were other instances of child sexual abuse abuse I’d be shocked if the victims hadn’t come forward by now.
