Explanation

Many dioceses struggle to conduct Title IV proceedings especially if a matter is referred for Conciliation, Conference Panel proceedings or Hearing Panel Proceedings. In nearly all cases the people involved, such as the President of the Disciplinary Board, members of Panels, and Church Attorneys, are handling a Title IV matter for the first time. Procedural mistakes are common. The cost to a diocese can be substantial and, sometimes, prohibitive. It is difficult for some dioceses to recruit and adequately train or have available when needed all the persons needed to carry out a Title IV proceeding. Having a provincial, church wide or other basis for the Church’s disciplinary structures would better assure that all persons carrying out varying aspects of a Title IV proceeding would be adequately trained and that experience would be gained and shared within and between those persons and positions over time. A provincial, church wide or other system would reduce by 90 - 100 fold the number of people needed across the church to fill all the positions required for each diocese to have a fully functioning Title IV system in place. It has also been reported that the outcomes for very similar misconduct can vary widely, depending on the diocese involved, and that some sort of consistency in outcomes would be a benefit of a provincial, church wide or other system.