Diocese Outlines Efforts to Protect Children

By Linda Comins
The Intelligencer
March 23, 2019

http://www.theintelligencer.net/news/top-headlines/2019/03/diocese-outlines-efforts-to-protect-children/

Photo by Scott McCloskey The Cathedral of St. Joseph in East Wheeling is the seat of the bishop for the Catholic Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston issued a letter Friday to the “faithful of the diocese,” outlining diocesan efforts to ensure a safe environment for children and to deal with any allegations of sexual misconduct.

The letter comes three days after West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey filed a civil suit against the diocese and its retired bishop, the Most Rev. Michael J. Bransfield, for allegedly violating the West Virginia Consumer Credit and Protection Act. Morrisey’s 14-page complaint, filed Tuesday in Wood County Circuit Court, seeks to enjoin and restrain the diocese from violating the Consumer Credit and Protection Act and to order Bransfield and the diocese to pay civil penalties for violations of the West Virginia Code.

In the unsigned letter, church officials state, “The diocese will address the litigation in the appropriate forum. However, the diocese strongly and unconditionally rejects the complaint’s assertion that the diocese is not wholly committed to the protection of children, as reflected in its rigorous Safe Environment Program, the foundation of which is a zero tolerance policy for any cleric, employee or volunteer credibly accused of abuse. The program employs mandatory screening, background checks and training for all employees and volunteers who work with children.”

In addition, the officials said, “The diocese also does not believe that the allegations contained in the complaint fairly portray its overall contributions to the education of children in West Virginia nor fairly portray the efforts of its hundreds of employees and clergy who work every day to deliver quality education in West Virginia.”

The “safe environment” mandate was part of a Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People adopted by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in June 2002. Church officials said the diocese implemented its own sex abuse policy in the mid-1990s.

“Awareness training and background checks began for some by 2000 and the mandate followed in 2002. By 2005, the diocese’s Safe Environment Office and Program were fully operational, and by spring of 2006, the diocese was recognized as having passed the yearly audit. The Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston has passed every audit (on-site and electronic) for every year thereafter,” the letter states.

The diocese’s Safe Environment Program consists of background checks, a policy relating to sexual abuse of children and VIRTUS awareness training for adults. VIRTUS is the brand name of programs designed by the National Catholic Risk Retention Group Inc. to help prevent wrongdoing within religious organizations. All three components are mandated for anyone seeking employment or seeking to volunteer, directly or indirectly with children, within the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston and any entity that falls under the diocese.

“In addition to regular employees and volunteers, the Safe Environment process is applied to all priests, deacons and seminarians,” according to the diocese. “Priests, deacons and seminarians also are required to undergo additional awareness training above and beyond the initial VIRTUS module as well as more frequent background checks compared to other employees and volunteers.”

Officials said the diocese has spent approximately $355,060 on “thousands of background checks” since December 2004 and $153,861 on VIRTUS training since March 2004.

Regarding its efforts to create a safe environment for children, officials said, “A Student Awareness Program has been implemented since the fall of 2005 in the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston to give children information (appropriate for their age levels) and skills to help recognize acceptable and unacceptable behaviors and how to effectively deal with those behaviors.”

They said the diocese’s Department of Catholic Schools also conducts a yearly lesson for students in grades 6-12 called “Digital Do’s and Don’ts.”

The diocese is held accountable for compliance through safe environment audits and a review board composed of lay members. The diocese is audited electronically every year by an independent agency and on-site every three years for compliance with safe environment procedures and protocols.

The letter lists safe environment yearly statistics reported to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops from 2005-06 through 2017-18.

For the most recent year reported, 7,404 children completed age-appropriate awareness training. Also in 2017-18, awareness training was provided to 148 clergy and 6,874 employees and volunteers (including Catholic school staff).