Canadian bishops to update their policies on abuse prevention

By Deborah Gyapong
Catholic Register
October 4, 2016

http://www.catholicregister.org/item/23246-canadian-bishops-to-update-their-policies-on-abuse-prevention

CORNWALL, Ontario – Canada's bishops are finalizing new policies to better protect minors against sex abuse.

At their annual plenary Sept. 26-30 in Cornwall, the bishops approved, in principle, a new document on preventing sexual abuse and protecting minors, "Moving Towards Healing and Renewal – The Canadian Experience." The document offers some guidelines to help the dioceses better manage allegations of sex abuse by members of the clergy, as well as to contribute to the healing of the victims of abuse by priests or men religious.

Archbishop Anthony Mancini of Halifax-Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, who heads the bishops' Ad Hoc Committee on the Protection of Minors, said the new document updates the Canadian bishops' 1992 document, "From Pain to Hope," and aligns the bishops with standards put out by the Vatican.

Bishop Douglas Crosby of Hamilton, Ontario, president of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, said experience in this area "is so much broader now and so much deeper. This will present a lot more information along the lines of 'From Pain to Hope,' but updated."

Bishops now have a chance to review the text and send in suggestions and corrections. Bishop Crosby said he expects that if no major changes are required, the document will be approved in November at the next meeting of the CCCB's Permanent Council and published in early 2017.