Archbishop Byrnes Ensuring Safe Environment for Guam's Children

By Krystal Paco
KUAM
February 10, 2017

http://www.kuam.com/story/34473245/2017/02/Friday/archbishop-byrnes-ensuring-safe-environment-for-guams-children

They're being sued upwards of $80 million in the federal court for allegations of child sex abuse dating back decades ago, but they're not only being held accountable by the judicial system. In a press conference today, Guam's Coadjutor Archbishop Michael Byrnes announced the adoption of best practices to ensure child sex abuse in the church never happens again.

It's a zero-tolerance policy. "One instance of sexual abuse of minors, results in permanent - that's substantiated - one substantiated instance results in permanent removal from public ministry," said His Excellency. As announced in a press conference on Friday, Archbishop Byrnes says the Archdiocese of Agana has adopted the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People - a comprehensive set of procedures to address allegations of sexual abuse of minors by Church clergy. The provisions focus on healing, protection, and restoration of trust and harmony.


"The provisions of the this charter is a roadmap to winning back that trust. Again, it'll take a lot of time," he said.

While a Task Force for the Protection of Minors has already made its rounds at all the Catholic schools and now parishes to provide trainings on boundaries and mandated reporting, the charter takes it a step further. Expect background checks of all members of the archdiocese - and an independent audit to ensure compliance. "We're not just going to allege that were following these things, we're going to make ourselves accountable," the archbishop added.

In addition, when an allegation surfaces, reporting to civil authorities is a must. Also, an independent review board will review the allegations and advise the Archbishop on how best to proceed. "This is just the right thing to do. This is the gold standard throughout the world, and my very strong appeal was that they would embrace all the ramifications - it's going to mean more work for all those involved in ministry with young people, but it's well worth the effort because it's our children that our stake," he said.