Romanian Byzantine Diocese of
St. George in Canton, Ohio
The Romanian Byzantine Eparchy of St. George in Canton, Ohio (“the Eparchy”), was established as an Exarchate in 1982 from Romanian Catholic parishes that previously belonged to the Dioceses of Cleveland, Trenton, Pittsburgh, Erie, Youngs-town, Detroit, Gary, and Rockford. The Exarchate was made an eparchy in 1987. Parishes and missions of the Eparchy are located in nine states: California, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. The Eparchy has 13 active eparchial priests. The Eparchy has a religious community of approximately 4,000 persons. Bishop John Michael Botean has led the Eparchy since 1993. A compliance audit was conducted during the period of October 27-30, 2003.

The following describes conditions evident during the week of the audit. Information on corrective actions taken by the Diocese subsequent to the audit will be found in the last paragraph.

Findings

To Promote Healing and Reconciliation
The Eparchy has an extensive documented policy that provides for outreach and healing to victims/survivors, families, and parishioners. There have been no victims of sexual abuse or allegations of sexual abuse of a minor in the history of the Eparchy. The bishop or his designee will offer to meet with any victim/survivor or his or her family. Carol Ann Gall, a supervisor in the accreditation department at the Cleveland Clinic, has been designated as victim assistance coordinator. A five-member review board consists of four experienced lay persons and one priest, and it is available to provided consultative counsel to the bishop. A four-person response team has also been assigned to assist the victim assistance coordinator and parishioners in the event of an allegation. The eparchial code of conduct was revised and updated in October 2003 and was sent to all appropriate personnel. Guidance on reporting allegations of sexual abuse of a minor by eparchial personnel is posted on the Eparchy’s website and in the newspaper and all parish and mission bulletins. No confidentiality agreements have been entered into by the diocese since June 2002.

To Guarantee Effective Response to Allegations of Abuse of a Minor
The Eparchy has not received an allegation of sexual abuse of a minor by clergy since its inception in 1982. Policy and procedures are in place to promptly report all allegations of sexual abuse by clergy and to cooperate with civil authorities, as well as to advise victims/ survivors of their right to report allegations to civil authorities. Due to the geographical locations of some of the parishes and missions of the Eparchy, liaison has been established with respective representatives of the Latin Rite dioceses. The victim assistance coordinators and investigators of those dioceses, as well as other services, would be made available to the Eparchy to ensure immediate pastoral response and outreach. The eparchial code of conduct was revised and updated in October 2003 to conform to the Charter, and it has been disseminated appropriately. The bishop has a communications policy of openness and transparency.

To Ensure Accountability of Procedures
The Eparchy has participated in the research study regarding the “nature and scope” of the problem of sexual abuse of minors by Catholic clergy.

To Protect the Faithful in the Future
A member of the Eparchy has received VIRTUS training and has developed a safe environment program. Dates for training sessions have been assigned, with all clergy scheduled for the first session. All remaining eparchial personnel having regular contact with minors will then receive the appropriate training. Background checks, including police and public record reviews, have been requested for all clerics and lay personnel of the Eparchy, including volunteers. Results of the checks have not been received, and a Recommendation was issued to ensure timely receipt of the background checks for all the clergy, followed by receipt of all requested information for the remaining personnel. The Eparchy’s formation program for clergy includes weekly e-mail communication with the bishop, semi-annual retreats, and participation by the priests at meetings with other clergy of the Catholic dioceses in which their parishes or missions are located. Screening and evaluation procedures are used to determine the fitness of candidates for ordination.

Compliance with the Provisions of the Charter

At the conclusion of this audit, the Romanian Byzantine Eparchy of St. George in Canton, Ohio, was issued one Recommendation.

RECOMMENDATION—That background evaluation checks of clergy and other eparchial personnel be conducted, in accordance with the Charter.

As of December 1, 2003, the Recommendation has been addressed. The Romanian Byzantine Eparchy of St. George in Canton, Ohio, is compliant with the provisions of the Charter as measured by the process described in Chapter 2 in Section I.


The compliance audit measured activity that has occurred since the adoption of the Charter in June 2002 with the exception of certain mandated actions found in Articles 5 and 14. Actions taken by the diocese/eparchy prior to June 2002 to address allegations of sexual abuse of minors by priests and deacons are not included in this summary report.




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Office of Child and Youth Protection
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
3211 4th Street, N.E., Washington, DC 20017-1194
(202) 541-5413 | FAX: (202) 541-5410
Email: ocyp@usccb.org