Syriac Catholic Diocese of
Our Lady of Deliverance
The Syriac Catholic Diocese of Our Lady of Deliverance (“the Diocese”), established in November 1995, comprises nine parishes and three missions. Two of the parishes are in Canada, with the remainder in six states in the United States. There are nine priests and four deacons active in the Diocese, which has a total Catholic population of 17,600, of whom 4,500 are located in Canada. The congregation is 65 percent Iraqi and 35 percent Syrian, and the principal language is Arabic. There are no Catholic schools, and the two current seminarians are studying in Lebanon. Religious education is conducted by pastors, assisted by one lay instructor, in six of the parishes. Bishop Joseph F. Younan has served the Diocese in that capacity since its inception. The chancery is located in Union City, New Jersey. A compliance audit was conducted during the period of September 30–October 3, 2003

The following describes conditions evident during the week of the audit. Any 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 Diocese has established an outreach program that has provisions for counseling, spiritual assistance, and the use of outside professional services. The program has not yet been implemented, and a Recommendation was made to do so. The bishop is available to meet with any victims/survivors and families who wish to do so. Dr. Mufed Al Najjar has been designated victim assistance coordinator and is prepared to make arrangements for qualified professional counseling for victims/survivors. A five-member advisory board was appointed in June 2003; however, the board has not yet convened a meeting. It was recommended that the bishop provide all advisory board members with a copy of the Diocesan Standards for the Protection of Children and Young People and encourage members to meet and discuss their roles and responsibilities. It was suggested that the Diocese publicize procedures for filing allegations of sexual abuse by clergy. There have been no confidentiality agreements entered into by the Diocese before or since June 2002.

To Guarantee Effective Response to Allegations of Abuse of a Minor
No allegations of sexual abuse have ever been received, so there has been no need to make such reports to civil authorities. Policy is in place, however, to address prompt reporting, and victims/survivors will be advised of their right to report allegations to civil authorities. A Recommendation was issued to review and expand existing clergy standards of conduct and boundaries to add specificity and to incorporate a wider range of activities in those standards. A Recommendation was issued to develop a communications policy reflecting transparency and openness.

To Ensure Accountability of Procedures
The Diocese had not yet participated in the research study regarding the “nature and scope” of the problem of sexual abuse of minors by Catholic clergy. An Instruction was issued in that regard.

To Protect the Faithful in the Future
The Diocese has not established a safe environment program. An Instruction directed the Diocese to establish a safe environment program, which will provide training for parents, educators, clergy, and volunteers who regularly work with children and that addresses the needs of children and youth. Personnel who work with children are subject to background evaluations. These are conducted by their respective local and state agencies. The Diocese utilizes the Archdiocese of Newark’s screening procedures of candidates for ordination. There have been no instances involving clergy with credible allegations of sexual abuse against them, and thus none have been transferred either for ministerial or residency purposes. Regarding ongoing priestly formation, all clergy meet annually for retreat and dialogue on shared concerns. The bishop visits every parish four to five times a year.

Compliance with the Provisions of the Charter

At the conclusion of this audit, the Syriac Catholic Diocese of Our Lady of Deliverance was issued two Instructions and four Recommendations.

INSTRUCTION 1—The Diocese must establish a safe environment program, which will provide training for parents, educators, clergy, and volunteers who regularly work with children and which will address the needs of children and youth.

INSTRUCTION 2—The Diocese must participate in the research study of the “nature and scope” of the sexual abuse of children problem within the Catholic Church in the United States.

RECOMMENDATION 1—That the Diocese develop specific procedures to ensure that their safe environment program will be appropriately implemented and responsive to allegations of sexual abuse by clergy.

RECOMMENDATION 2—That the Diocese provide advisory board members with the Diocesan Standards for the Protection of Children and Young People and encourage members to convene to discuss their role and further identify their responsibilities as a consultative body for the bishop.

RECOMMENDATION 3—That the Diocese review and expand existing standards of conduct and boundaries and provide the revised procedures to all personnel having regular contact with children.

RECOMMENDATION 4—That the Diocese establish a communications policy committed to transparency and openness.

As of December 1, 2003, the Instructions and Recommendations had been not been addressed. The Syriac Catholic Diocese of Our Lady of Deliverance is not compliant with Articles 1, 2, 6, 7, and 9 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