RE: Response from the Diocese of Davenport to the Attorney General of Iowa

RE: Response from the Diocese of Davenport to the Attorney General of Iowa

From Most Rev. Thomas Zinkula, Bishop of Davenport:

I received a request from Tom Miller, Attorney General of Iowa, to submit records, published or unpublished, that relate to sexual abuse of minors and vulnerable adults in the Diocese of Davenport. I will cooperate with this request. This third-party review will help in determining if the Diocese has been on the right track in addressing abuse and, if necessary, in making changes to this process.

I apologize for abuse by clergy that occurred in the past. In 2002, the bishops of the United States made significant and sweeping changes to the Church’s role in protecting children and vulnerable adults. As a result, since 2003 the Diocese of Davenport has provided safe environment training to approximately 18,708 adults and 8,638 children, and we have completed over 51,759 background checks.

These efforts have helped. The Diocese of Davenport has not received any reports of child sexual abuse by clergy or church personnel that occurred since 1988, over 30 years ago.

Our Church and society need to continue to be vigilant in providing safe environments for children to thrive and grow. Our commitment to safe environment training goes beyond the doors of the church and our schools. For this reason, we are exploring ways to educate parents and the general public about creating and maintaining safe environments.

The hotline provided by the attorney general for reporting sexual abuse will assist victims of abuse. For the Diocese of Davenport, this will supplement our long-standing policy of reporting allegations of sexual abuse to the Scott County Attorney and to the victim assistance coordinator for the Diocese.

I look forward to working with the other dioceses in Iowa and with Mr. Miller in ensuring transparency and accountability, and above all, in providing safety for those among us who are most vulnerable.

To report child sexual abuse

• Call the Iowa Attorney General Clergy Abuse hotline at 855-620-7000 (M-F, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.) to speak with a trained advocate.
• Contact the Iowa Department of Human Services Child Abuse Hotline: 800-362-2178
• If the abuse involves clergy or church personnel, also notify Alicia Owens, LBSW, Victim Assistance Coordinator, 563-349-5002 | P.O. Box 232 Bettendorf, IA 52722-0004 | [email protected]


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PDF of Press Release
links to:
The Iowa Catholic Conference Press Release
Iowa Attorney General Press Release