MINNESOTA: DIOCESE WELCOMES ADMITTED, CONVICTED AND REGISTERED SEX OFFENDER AS RETREAT LEADER

News Analysis

By David W. Virtue
www.episcopalian.org
7/31/2007

The Diocese of Minnesota's Episcopal House of Prayer has welcomed back a defrocked clergyman who is an admitted, convicted and registered sex offender as a diocesan retreat leader.

A special board meeting, called in mid-March, that included Bishop James Jelinek reviewed prior decisions and arrangements concerning long-time retreat facilitator Lynn Bauman's work with the House of Prayer. As a result, the full board, with the Bishop's approval allowed the sex offender to be a facilitator at the retreat center.

They passed the following resolution:

"Resolved: Having listened carefully to concerns expressed by others, and supporting healing and reconciliation at all levels, and wanting to be as helpful to retreatants as possible, the Board of Directors of the Episcopal House of Prayer, after prayerful consideration, ratifies previous decisions to permit Lynn Bauman to serve as a retreat facilitator at the Episcopal House of Prayer and reaffirms the Episcopal House of Prayer's relationship with Lynn Bauman as a retreat facilitator, subject to existing terms and conditions established for his participation in retreats, and subject to the further requirement that all who register for retreats with Lynn Bauman will be informed in writing of his background as part of the registration process."

According to a report at their website, the board's vote was unanimous, "the result of much listening and prayer."

Bishop Jelinek said Lynn Bauman's sex offenses occurred more than a decade ago and he has followed every requirement of his probation. He registers with the local law enforcement authorities whenever he comes to Minnesota. His retreats are for adults; he has no contact with children or youth. He overnights with his brother, Ward, who serves as director of the House of Prayer.

Not everyone is happy with the decision.

Bob Schwiderski of the Minnesota chapter of the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests said organizers "are in denial. They should warn people. They have a responsibility to protect children; they owe society that."

Despite their protests Baumann is scheduled to lead a religious retreat today at an Episcopal center in Collegeville, Minn. Bauman, 64, who admitted to molesting an 8-year-old boy during a camping trip in Texas in 1996, and who was sentenced to 10 years probation In 1999, will lead a four-day, $310-per-person retreat, entitled "Wisdom School Introduction."

"Clearly an incident occurred. And he has been judged and punished," said Helen Hansen, of St. Paul, a longtime retreat center board member and its president.

Based on the board resolution, those who register for retreats at the House of Prayer with Bauman will be given a written description of his background as part of the registration process. This will permit anyone who prefers not to attend to withdraw or to select another retreat.

This summer Bauman is participating in two weeklong retreats, together with two other guest retreat facilitators. There are no plans to change the faculty for the retreats.

RECIDIVISM

In a chapter "Can Homosexuals Change?" in his book "The Bible and Homosexual Practice" Dr. Robert Gagnon writes this: "It is unrealistic to demand that a person who comes out of a homosexual lifestyle and into a heterosexual one never again, under even the most stressful circumstances, experience homosexual urges if she or he is to claim a sexual-orientation change. Many pleasurable forms of behavior, particularly sexual behavior, tend toward compulsion and addiction. They cannot be turned on and off like a light switch. Despite the best effort of clinicians, the recidivism rate for rapists and child molesters is extremely high. The reason why is clear: there is a biological or physiological component to their peculiar experience of sexual arousal."

According to the most recent statistics available, sex offenders have a relatively low recidivism rate in the FIRST YEARS after prison release. On average, studies appear to indicate that sex offenders have between a 3 and 13% chance of committing a new sex offense. One source specifies the rate for new sex crimes is 13.7%, the rate for child molestation is 12.7%, the rate for child molestation within families is 8.4%, and the rate for rape 18.9%.

Canadian studies have shown approximately a 13.4% rate of recidivism. Sex offenders were less likely than non-sex offenders to be rearrested for any offense –– 43 percent of sex offenders versus 68 percent of non-sex offenders. Sex offenders were about four times more likely than non-sex offenders to be arrested.

FOOTNOTE: The retreats are sponsored by the Episcopal House of Prayer in Collegeville (320 363 3293), which was created by an arrangement between the St. John's Abbey (320 363 2011) and the Episcopal Diocese of Minnesota (612 871 5311). Lynn Bauman's brother, Ward Bauman directs the House of Prayer, which is found on the Abbey's website under "directory and campus links" http://www.saintjohnsabbey.org/contact/index.html Last year, at least four monks at the abbey were credibly and publicly accused of child sexual abuse for the first time. They include Fr. Paul GoPaul, Fr. Robert Blumeyer, Fr. Michael Bik, and Fr. Bruce Wollmering. The latter two still live in Collegeville, allegedly under the supervision of their fellow priests. Bik was accused of child molestation in 1997 but kept teaching at Catholic high schools until 2002. The top officials of St. John's should not be silent about Lynn Bauman - they should be super vigilant and actively collaborating to protect our children from sexual abuse.

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SURVIVORS NETWORK OF THOSE ABUSED BY PRIESTS

July 28, 2007

Dear Minnesota Council of Churches,

We are writing to you today to beg you to take immediate action to protect the innocent and the vulnerable. We represent thousands of victims of sexual abuse at the hands of clergy members and know the life long scars that this abuse leaves on its victims.

While you may have no legal authority to block Lynn Baumann from leading spiritual retreats we believe you have a moral obligation to reach out to people who may have been harmed and to warn people about the threat this man poses.

Predators are charming and charismatic, not dirty old men hiding in bushes. They are able to charm not only their victims but the community as well. Baumann is an admitted pedophile and should never be allowed in a position of trust. He forfeited that right when he harmed an innocent child.

Everything we know about child molesters says they never stop; they actually become more skilled with age. They learn to target victims, grooming not only the child but also the parents, gaining their trust and respect. Baumann is not less dangerous; he is more dangerous.

To allow this man to present himself as a trusted spiritual leader is reckless, placing the innocent and the vulnerable in harm's way. We ask that you use every resource at your disposal to inform people of this man's past behavior. We also ask that you publicly condemn both the Episcopal and the Catholic hierarchy for this dangerous and totally unnecessary risk they have taken by allowing Baumann to lead retreats.

Please ask your members to avoid the scheduled events, to send a strong message that this recklessness will not be tolerated. We demand openness and transparency from our spiritual leaders and will not compromise when it comes to the safety of the children.

We also ask you to join us in a collaborative partnership creating improved child abuse prevention efforts, implementing appropriate child protection plans and services, improving prevention laws, child protection practice innovations and reforms, and knowledge building to provide the tools, knowledge and skills required to protect our children from sexual abuse. Minnesota 's faith community is needed in the coordinated response to prevent child sexual abuse, the primary social illness in Minnesota.

We await your reply.

Bob Schwiderski, Minnesota SNAP
David Clohessy, National Director of SNAP

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