Allentown Catholic Diocese Creates New Position to Oversee Child Protection

By Daniel Patrick Sheehan
Morning Call
January 10, 2019

https://www.mcall.com/news/breaking/mc-nws-allentown-catholic-diocese-youth-protection-20190110-story.html

Pamela Russo, who served several roles in the Diocese of Allentown before taking a job in Tennessee, will return to fill a new position overseeing child protection services. (The Morning Call/Contributed photo)

Continuing its response to the clerical sexual abuse crisis, the Catholic Diocese of Allentown has created a cabinet-level position to oversee child protection services and is bringing back a longtime employee to fill the post.

Pamela Russo, former director of Catholic Charities in the diocese, has been heading Catholic Charities of Tennessee in Nashville since 2016.

Russo, a licensed social worker, “will be responsible for overseeing and improving all aspects of abuse prevention and child safety,” the diocese said in a news release Thursday. That will include reviewing all current policies on child protection, safe environments and victim assistance to determine their effectiveness.

Russo — who did not want to discuss the new role until she begins work — will start the job “soon,” the release said.

“Preventing abuse and keeping children safe are top priorities,” Bishop Alfred Schlert said. “We are extremely blessed that a woman of Pam’s experience will be joining us to advance these protections to the next level.”

Russo, who was former secretary for Catholic Human Services in the diocese in addition to executive director of Catholic Charities, has a masters in social work from Temple University and a master of science degree in administration of human services from Chestnut Hill College.

“This newly created role is a unique opportunity to really make a difference in critical areas at a critical time in the history of the diocese,” she said in the release.

The diocese, which includes Lehigh, Northampton, Schuylkilll, Carbon and Berks counties, has renewed its focus on abuse prevention since the August release of a grand jury report that identified 301 priests accused of sexually abusing more than 1,000 children over the past several decades. That included more than 50 priests from the diocese.

In December, it announced the creation of the Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program, which will provide compensation for victims and survivors of clergy sexual abuse.

The program will be funded by the diocese but will otherwise be independent of diocesan oversight or control, the diocese says.

Russo “will be available as a resource to assist victims and survivors … as they report their experiences and apply for compensation” from the fund, the release said.

In Tennessee, Russo oversaw 170 employees and a budget of $20 million at Catholic Charities in Nashville, the largest such organization in the state.

Contact: daniel.sheehan@mcall.com