Editor's note: The above video is a report from Dec. 2018 centered on Jesuit priests with credible sexual abuse allegations living at Cardinal Bea House on Gonzaga's campus
SPOKANE, Wash. — Gonzaga University President Thayne McCulloh is forming a commission to address the reports of clergy sexual abuse, according to a letter sent to students, faculty and staff on Monday, April 15.
The commission will focus on identifying, discussing and making recommendations to McCulloh regarding formal actions the university should take in light of the clergy sex abuse crisis, he wrote.
He said the commission will draw from appointed and/or self-nominated members, including members of the school’s faculty and staff, Jesuits, Trustees, students and potentially a representative of the local community.
The university declined to comment on McCulloh’s announcement of the commission as it is an internal document.
McCulloh referenced worldwide reports and cases of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church in the letter, including a report released by the Pennsylvania Attorney General in August 2018 and a report of Jesuit priests with credible allegations of abuse living on Gonzaga’s campus.
In December of 2018, Gonzaga was in the spotlight after an investigative report from the Center for Investigative Reporting claimed that Jesuit priests accused of sexual abuse and misconduct retired at the Cardinal Bea House on Gonzaga University’s campus.
A statement released by the Jesuits West Province said that Jesuits with credible allegations were placed on “safety plans” and reside at the Sacred Heart Jesuit Center, the Province’s senior healthcare facility in Los Gatos, California.
The Province said safety plans with credible allegations of abuse are reviewed annually and audited by an outside safety consultant that provides accreditation for prevention of sexual abuse of minors.
Gonzaga University President Thayne McCulloh addressed those safety plans in a Dec. 18 letter addressed to alumni, parents and friends, writing that he learned there had been priests under supervised “safety plans” living at the Jesuit retirement community.
In the April 15 letter, McCulloh wrote that the Jesuits priests who “violated both psychological and physical boundaries, their vows, and the sacred trust that others had placed in them is a source of deep pain and embarrassment” for the Jesuits.
“It is painful to think of the lifelong consequences that abuse has upon its victims, and my conversations with members of our community have strengthened my resolve to do all that we can as a community to ensure future generations do not suffer from this same abuse of power,” McCulloh wrote.
McCulloh said the commission will be dedicated to what happened at Bea House, along with broader systemic issues involving abuse of children and adults by priests.
McCulloh added that the university’s Board of Trustees has been involved with conversations focused on reviewing protocols and agreements with the US Jesuits West Province.
“My conversations have also revealed that there are many who are angry, grieving, doubting and questioning, and are looking for ways of developing a personal response to all of this,” McCulloh wrote.
“As I mentioned in the first of several communications this past Fall, I believe there is a role that Gonzaga as a university must play in learning about and responding to the systematic issues that have plagued the Church,” he continued.