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Archdiocese hires psychologist to police priests

A psychologist will soon police all Archdiocese of Philadelphia priests and a new "delegate for investigations" will monitor sex-abuse allegations and shepherd them to civil authorities for action, changes Archbishop Cardinal Justin Rigali announced late Friday in response to Thursday's priest indictments.

A psychologist will soon police all Archdiocese of Philadelphia priests and a new "delegate for investigations" will monitor sex-abuse allegations and shepherd them to civil authorities for action, changes Archbishop Cardinal Justin Rigali announced late Friday in response to Thursday's priest indictments.

Rigali also hired Mary Achilles, the state's first victim advocate, to advise him on how to best help victims of clergy sex-abuse. Ironically, Achilles worked for the diocese in that capacity from 2006 through 2008, but the grand jury alleged that church officials ignored her initial strong recommendations.

The psychologist, Joseph A. Cronin Jr., will fill the newly created position of Clergy Support Associate, Rigali said. In that post, Cronin will ensure that priests in active ministry comply with "Standards of Ministerial Behavior and Boundaries." Cronin already supervises and treats priests booted from active ministry for the archdiocese.

The changes are but a sliver of the reforms the grand jury recommended Thursday, including removing problematic priests still in active ministry; making sex-abuse investigations more open to the public; and outsourcing victim-assistance programs to an independent agency not subject to archdiocesan control.

But Rigali, in Friday's statement, stressed the changes were "an initial response" and that the archdiocese is continuing to review the report.