Offices of LV priests made more visible

Stacy J. Willis

Thursday, July 18, 2002 | 10:59 a.m.

The Catholic Church's closed-door image is getting a makeover -- literally -- as parishes throughout Las Vegas install glass windows in priests' office doors.

The renovation was dictated by the Diocese of Las Vegas after a springtime of scandal, and is intended to make clear what does -- or does not -- happen between priests and parishioners behind closed doors.

"We just think it's prudent in light of the present challenges in the Catholic Church in the United States," the Rev. Bob Stoekig, diocese vicar-general, said.

Allegations of sexual misconduct between priests and children have bombarded the Catholic Church nationwide. Charges against a Henderson priest, the Rev. Mark Roberts, are awaiting legal action.

Stoekig said the decision to make offices more visible arose as diocesan officials discussed ways to protect parishioners from wayward priests, and priests from false allegations. Many office doors already have windows, he said, but some required replacement.

"There needs to be window visibility from the outside hall -- a glass pane so that there is no question about what's happening," Stoekig said.

But David Clohessy, national director of the Survivors Network for those Abused by Priests (SNAP), said the measure won't do much to protect children.

"These guys (abusive priests) are very cunning and shrewd and certainly it won't deter anybody from doing what they're going to do, they'll just do it elsewhere," Clohessy said.

"I think its biggest benefit may be symbolic, and I do applaud the effort to do something tangible, rather than just offering mere words. But a better use of resources might be to set up programs that educate Catholic children about what is appropriate touch and what isn't, or putting child-abuse hotline numbers in church bulletins, or other prevention programs."

In addition to adding office windows, Stoekig said, diocese officials have worked to "renew efforts with training new employees" about appropriate conduct and the rules of reporting sexual abuse allegations.

"We (diocese officials) are in an ongoing conversation about this issue," Stoekig said.

Clohessy said he is not aware of dioceses in other states replacing priests' doors. However, Reno Diocese officials also recently decided to put windows in all administrative offices. Individual parishes are being asked to pay for their new doors, and in churches that are under construction, doors with windows will be installed.

Reno Chancellor Matthew Cunningham called it a "wise move."

"This came up as a part of our discussion about sexual misconduct issues in the past year. It is about safeguarding kids, and also making sure the priests understand the liability issue," Cunningham said. "Those are precautions that need to be taken."

But some parishioners don't like the idea.

"It's sort of like saying that if we don't have somebody watching (priests) all the time, we expect them to do something illegal or obscene," said Dennis Ortwein, a member of the Las Vegas Catholic community since 1956.

"I think priests ought to be able to occupy that office with dignity, like anyone else with an office," Ortwein said. "I've worked with so many priests over the years, and none of them have ever been accused of that sort of thing."

Some parishioners prefer to ask for confession face-to-face in the priest's office rather than in a confession booth, and having a window limits privacy.

But Stoekig said he didn't expect confessions to be affected.

"The majority of confessions really happen in a church situation," Stoekig said. "For those priests who do confessions in their offices face-to-face, it shouldn't be a problem for privacy if the office is set up right. ... You set it up so that the back of the person is visible from the window and people can see (the priest's) face."

The Rev. Bartholomew Hutcherson, a priest whose office is on the UNLV campus, recently had his wood door replaced with a glass door.

"It makes sense if you have minors in there," Hutcherson said. "But I plan to get window blinds for it so that when adults are in there and would prefer more privacy, I can close the blinds."