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.

Bishop Martino issued a letter thanking the clergy, school principals and Diocesan staff for their cooperation with the policies and programs of the Diocese regarding the protection of children and young people. He also cited the efforts of Gail Fromm, the compliance officer who is charged with assisting all pastors and principals in meeting all of the obligations imposed by the Charter, and Sarah Mountain, the VIRTUS coordinator who supervises the safe environment programs.

“You have taken seriously the commitment our Church has made to do everything we can to make certain that the children and young people entrusted to our care are never harmed by sexual abuse,” Bishop Martino said. “Our Church’s requirements regarding background checks, clearances, safe environment training, the immediate removal of perpetrators of sexual abuse, and the care and treatment of victims demonstrate that we are taking seriously our obligations to young people. Your role in this critical endeavor is greatly valued by me and by all those we serve.”

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 and is ongoing. As of the most recent audit period ending June 30, 2007, the Diocese had trained 7,777 priests, deacons, candidates for ordination, Diocesan and parish staff members, teachers, coaches, and volunteers on how to recognize and report child sexual abuse. Although the audit does not require an accounting for parents who were trained, when these are included the number of people trained by the Diocese exceeds 16,000.

The Diocese has also implemented 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 has been offered to students in Diocesan Catholic schools for the past four years. A similar program is provided in the public schools as required by the Pennsylvania State Educational Association. As of June 30, 54,681 students in Catholic and public schools have received the instruction.

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).

Mrs. Fromm, the compliance officer, was hired in 2006 to assist pastors and school administrators to comply with this requirement. Information packets have been provided, and workshops were held in the various regions of the Diocese to answer questions about the acquisition of the background checks and clearances. Links to both of the state clearance forms are posted on the Diocesan website.

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. Background checks and clearances have been completed for 7,386 individuals.

For more information about VIRTUS training, contact Sarah Mountain, Diocesan VIRTUS coordinator, at 570-563-8500.

For information on the background checks and clearances, contact Gail Fromm, Diocesan compliance officer, at 570-207-2214.

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