Church Makes Major Progress on Safe Environment Issues

By Edward Weisenburger
Roman Catholic Diocese of Salina - The Register
June 27, 2012

http://salinadiocese.org/the-register/2193-church-makes-major-progress-on-safe-environment-issues

At the recent U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops meeting, we received good news about the U.S. Church’s efforts to create a safe environment for youth and children. The report was produced by the National Review Board with much of the conclusions drawn from the John Jay School of Criminal Justice report, an extensive study by a non-Catholic legal institute on the origins and extent of sexual misconduct in the Catholic Church. While the study noted that there will always be more to achieve and we must remain ever-vigilant, it concludes that we have done immense good in a very short period of time. Certain points are worth noting:

• The victims of sexual abuse who have come forward reveal that the vast majority of abuse arose in the 1960s, peaked in the 1970s and declined sharply in the 1980s — a period of time mirroring a breakdown of sexual ethics in our culture. Even victims coming forward today are largely voicing allegations from that time period. While it is good news to know that the majority of this illegal and sinful behavior is behind us, we cannot drop our guard. We must remain vigilant. Also, it is important to note that there is still much work to be done to bring healing to the victims from that era.

• Prior to the U.S. bishops’ 2002 Charter for the Protection of Children and Youth, the Church largely responded in a legal manner, which did not help victims. Today the Church’s response is far more pastoral and therapeutic. A wide range of resources are offered victims to assist with their healing.

• Prior to the 2002 charter, approximately 77 dioceses had policies and procedures in place to respond to allegations of sexual misconduct. Today all 195 dioceses in the U.S. have policies and procedures, along with codes of conduct for clergy, employees and volunteers. Each diocese has a review board to advise the bishop on allegations and procedures, and confidential settlements have been abolished except when requested by the victim. Dioceses are required to report allegations of sexual abuse of minors to public authorities and to cooperate with police investigations. The Holy See has made possible procedures to remove offending clergy from the clerical state more quickly, and a “zero-tolerance” policy related to offenders has been implemented.