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	Diocese Policy Praised; Draft Sexual Misconduct Policy Released Thursday By Erica Bajer Chatham Daily News [Canada] June 15, 2007 http://www.chathamdailynews.ca/webapp/sitepages/content.asp?contentid=572269&catname=Local+News&classif= Victims of the late pedophile priest Charles Sylvestre praised the diocese of London's draft sexual misconduct policy released Thursday. "This is what we wanted," said Lou-Ann Soontiens. "If we can stop this from happening again, it's great." Soontiens said many of Sylvestre's more than 47 victims - who have joined together to create an advocacy group called From Isolation to Action - have called for change to protect children in the church. Carol Ann Mieras, of Kingston, said while the policy isn't perfect, it's a good first step in shedding the secrecy surrounding sexual abuse. "It shows more transparency on the part of the church," she said. Mieras would like to see the London diocese's efforts to protect children spread to other areas. "I do hope this is where it starts," she said. "There are a lot of children being abused all over the world by priests." However, Mieras has her doubts that other areas will adopt similar policies. "I'm leery that it would actually translate outside the London diocese, but at least they're setting an example." The draft, called "A Safe Environment Policy for the Diocese of London," outlines a code of conduct for priests dealing with children and vulnerable people, sets out guidelines for handling abuse allegations and calls for the formation of a victim's assistance committee. It also states that priests will not be the first point of contact for people disclosing abuse allegations. The policy addresses some of the issues survivors of Sylvestre - who was convicted in 2006 of 47 counts of indecent assault spanning more than three decades - have been vocal about, including open confessionals, the institution of the Two-Deep Rule (that two adults be present in dealings with children) and banning priests from being alone with children in their homes or vehicles. Ron Pickersgill, communications director for the diocese, said the policy was released in draft form "to invite the wisdom of the public, especially those who are directly impacted by the issue of sexual misconduct." He said many parts of the policy aren't new, they are just being formalized. "A number of elements have already been in place," he said. "This is putting it on paper." Chatham-Kent Crown Attorney Paul Bailey, who has been a vocal proponent of change in the church, said the policy is an "excellent point of origin." He praised the fact that the policy is in draft form. "There's no doubt that these women . . . will have some refinements to suggest," he said. Bailey also noted that the policy and the work being done in the local diocese should be a template for other jurisdictions in Ontario and Canada. It's important that the church as an organization recognizes the need to change in order to protect children, he said. "It's the institution that needs to own the solution," he said. Bailey commended Bishop Ronald Fabbro and Vicar General Father John Sharp, who prepared the policy, for their efforts to effect change. Soontiens also applauded Fabbro's commitment to protecting children in the church. "Bishop Fabbro said he was going to do something and we were a little bit doubtful, but he's doing it," she said. "I commend him." The draft policy is available at www.rcec.london.on.ca. The diocese target date for receiving responses is July 31.
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