PENNSYLVANIA
Daily Times
By PATTI MENGERS
pmengers@delcotimes.com
Philadelphia Archbishop Charles Chaput this week announced the Archdiocese of Philadelphia’s latest polices for the protection of children, 20 months after a grand jury investigation blasted archdiocesan officials for their handling of clerical sex abuse cases.
“While recently codified these same policies have actually guided our practices for more than a year. They’ll be reviewed on a regular basis and updated as circumstances require,” said Chaput in a prepared statement released Wednesday.
Among the key changes are a separate archdiocesan office of investigations to ensure immediate referral of any complaints to law enforcement officials, codification of steps for thorough screening of priests seeking to minister in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and referral of all complaints against clergy that involve minors to the Archdiocesan Review Board that provides recommendations of suitability for ministry to Chaput after assessing abuse allegatons.
Archdiocesan Review Board Vice Chairman Arnold Gordon, a former Philadelphia Assistant District Attorney, said, “The revised polices and procedures constitute significant evidence of the commitment of the Philadelphia archdiocese to a zero tolerance policy toward sexual abuse of minors.”
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