Diocese Complies With Charter to Protect Children

The Diocese of Scranton has again been found to be in compliance with the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, enacted in 2002 by the United States bishops to address the issue of sexual abuse of minors by clergy.

The compliance was confirmed following a visit to the Diocese by representatives of The Gavin Group, Inc., which has been commissioned by the National Review Board to conduct yearly audits of all dioceses to ensure they are adhering to the provisions of the charter. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops formed the National Review Board to oversee the implementation of the charter.

Each of the annual audits has confirmed the Diocese of Scranton’s compliance with the charter.

Scranton established a policy to deal with sexual abuse of minors by clergy in 1993, well before the issue received widespread public attention. After the national charter was promulgated in 2002, the Diocese refined its policy accordingly.

The Diocese hired a Victim Assistance Coordinator to provide outreach and confidential services to victims, and revised the membership of its Review Board that assesses allegations and advises the Bishop. The procedures and process for filing complaints have been published in brochures, on the Diocesan website and in all parish bulletins.

The Diocesan policy requires reporting of all allegations of sexual abuse of a minor to civil authorities, no matter the current age of the victim; and the Diocese has a clear policy that addresses the process of dealing with complaints, including a prompt preliminary investigation and placing the accused priest on administrative leave. The Diocese requires that, when sexual abuse is admitted or established, the offending priest is permanently removed from ministry.

The Diocese also established a Code of Pastoral Conduct to ensure that proper behavior is fostered whenever children and all members of the faithful gather for spiritual, educational or social activities conducted under the auspices of the Church. It also provides guidelines for the conduct of pastoral counselors and spiritual directors.

The code covers a range of situations and issues, including sexual and other forms of physical conduct, settings for meetings and counseling sessions, harassment of any kind (sexual, physical, mental, verbal, racial or ethnic), the nature of relationships, conflicts of interest, and reporting ethical or professional misconduct.

The national charter also mandates that all employees and volunteers receive training on how to create safe environments for children and young people.

The Diocese has been using the VIRTUS sexual abuse awareness and prevention program, “Protecting God’s Children,” to fulfill this requirement.

The program was introduced in the spring of 2003. To date, 360 training sessions have been held and approximately 13,000 individuals – including the Diocesan clergy, staff, teachers, coaches, parents and volunteers – across the 11-county Diocese have been trained in ways to recognize and report child sexual abuse.

The VIRTUS program is ongoing. Five training sessions will be held in February.

The Diocese is also implementing a safe environment program for students in grades K-10 to teach them how to recognize and avoid situations that could lead to sexual abuse. It also encourages communication between children and their parents so that dangerous situations and incidents are reported promptly.

The VIRTUS “Teaching Touching Safety” program is designed specifically for children. It was offered to students in Diocesan Catholic schools in the spring of 2005 and will be provided again this spring.

Another provision of the national charter is that all employees in parishes and schools, as well as volunteers who spend 20 or more hours per year with children, must obtain a Pennsylvania Criminal Background Check (Act 34) and a Pennsylvania Child Abuse History Clearance (Act 151).

The Diocese, through its Office for Parish Life and the Catholic Schools Office, has been assisting pastors and school administrators to comply with this requirement. Information packets have been provided, and a series of 10 workshops were held in the various regions of the Diocese to answer questions about the acquisition of the background checks and clearances. Every parish in the Diocese is to maintain a binder listing all employees and volunteers, along with their clearances, background checks and verification of their participation in the VIRTUS safe environment program. Parishes and schools are completing the process to satisfy this requirement.  

“Protecting God’s Children”
Upcoming VIRTUS Sessions in the Diocese of Scranton  

Feb. 11	Resurrection Parish, Muncy	10:00 a.m.
Feb. 16	King’s College, Wilkes-Barre	6:00 p.m.
Feb. 16	Our Lady of the Snows Parish, Clarks Summit	6:00 p.m.
Feb. 17	King’s College, Wilkes-Barre	9:00 a.m.
Feb. 18	Marywood University, Dunmore	10:00 a.m.

For more information about VIRTUS training, contact Sarah Mountain, Diocesan VIRTUS coordinator, in the Office for Parish Life at 570-207-2213.
 

Notice Regarding Sexual Abuse of a Person Under Eighteen Years of Age by Ordained or Lay Personnel of the Diocese of Scranton  

Such an act should be reported to the Diocese by calling the Victim Assistance Coordinator (570-344-5216) or the Chancellor (570-207-2216) or the Vicar for Priests (570-207-2269).

Upon receiving a report of this kind, the Diocese of Scranton is committed to assisting victims or survivors of sexual abuse in their pursuit of emotional and spiritual well-being.