GUAM
KUAM
[with video]
Updated: Feb 10, 2017
By Krystal Paco
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.
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