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	2002 Charter Continues to Protect God's Children By C.T. Maier and Robert P. Lockwood Pittsburgh Catholic [United States] June 15, 2007 http://www.pittsburghcatholic.org/newsarticles_more.phtml?id=1958 Five years ago, the U.S. Catholic bishops responded to the clergy sexual abuse crisis by approving the "Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People" and a broad-based effort to address the problem of child sexual abuse in the church and society as a whole. At the heart of the charter is the bishops' promise to "work to our utmost for the protection of children and youth." The charter backs up their pledge with 17 guidelines that promote healing and reconciliation, guarantee an effective response to abuse cases, ensure accountability and protect the faithful by screening those who work with children and youth. Yet, many Catholics are unaware of what the church has been doing. A recent survey by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University found that as many as 80 percent of American Catholics didn't know that the church had done anything at all. Last week in the Pittsburgh Catholic, it was reported how the charter promotes healing and an effective response to cases of abuse. This week, the focus is on how the charter ensures accountability and continues to protect the faithful. Ensuring accountability To ensure the accountability to the 17 articles of the charter and the accompanying "Essential Norms," the bishops established on the national level the Office for Child and Youth Protection. The National Review Board, a committee of eminent Catholic laypeople, oversees the Office for Child and Youth Protection. The Office for Child and Youth Protection is charged with assisting dioceses in implementing "safe environment" programs, as well as conducting an annual audit of dioceses to monitor implementation of the charter. The audits are conducted by the Gavin Group, an independent consultancy operated by a former FBI agent. The Diocese of Pittsburgh has been audited three times since the charter was established in 2002. With each audit, the standards have been raised, and the diocese's safe environment policy has kept pace, not only meeting but exceeding the charter's requirements. This year, the diocese is set to be audited a fourth time from Aug. 27-31. "Diocesan leadership, public outreach, administrative and personnel policies, procedures and implementation are of such high standards as to warrant commendation and reference as 'best practices,'" the audit team wrote in a special commendation after the first audit in 2003. In addition to overseeing the national effort, the National Review Board has also been involved in studying the overall problem of child abuse in our culture. At the review board's request, the John Jay College of Criminal Justice published a study of the problem in January 2004. A second study, a comprehensive review of the causes and context of the scandal, is expected to take several more years to complete. Protecting the faithful Finally, after providing for the effective response to abuse and the needs of victims, the charter lists a series of action items for dioceses to protect the faithful in the future. The guidelines call for the establishment of "safe environment" programs and training for both youth and adults; screening the background of candidates for ordination and diocesan and parish personnel who have contact with minors; the notification of bishops and religious superiors about clerics who may be dangers to children or young people; and the coordination with religious communities to respond to allegations of religious clerics. To keep up with these demands, the Diocese of Pittsburgh established its own Office for the Protection of Children and Young People this spring. The new office, directed by Ron Ragan, former director of the Gilmary Diocesan Center in Moon Township, is busy preparing parishes and schools for the new diocesan safe environment database, which went online this spring. The database, which responds to the ever-increasing demands of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' audits, allows the diocese to track compliance with the charter's requirements for background checks — including an FBI fingerprint background check — for all clergy, employees or volunteers who have contact with young people, as well as the completion of training in the diocese's Code of Pastoral Conduct and "Protecting God's Children" program, which instructs church personnel on the issues surrounding child sexual abuse and on ways to ensure a safe environment for children. Ragan, who has a long background working with youth, sees his role as part of a continual process of vigilance. "Protecting children isn't a one-time event," he said. "We're always looking for better ways to ensure their safety. There are always ways to make our parishes and schools safer. We must always remind adults in the church who are responsible for the care of children and young people that it's not about us. Rather, it's about doing whatever is necessary to ensure that those entrusted to our care are protected." Still a priority Five years after the adoption of the "Charter for Protection of Children and Young People," the welfare of young people and all the faithful continues to be the primary concern of our diocesan church. The diocese is implementing a series of steps in order to have in place a consistent and coherent prevention program that provides a safe environment for children throughout our parishes, schools and church-related activities. "Safeguarding our children and young people is one of the most important things that we do as a church," said Bishop Paul Bradley, diocesan administrator. "The Diocese of Pittsburgh, like Catholic dioceses across the country, has taken extraordinary steps to make Catholic parishes and schools places where children are as safe as possible. And we intend to continue doing everything we possibly can to maintain that safety and protection." But all these efforts are only part of the story. Well before the charter, the diocese has been committed to responding promptly to allegations of abuse, cooperating fully with civil authorities, reaching out to victims and families for healing and reconciliation, educating clergy, being open to the public and ensuring the accountability of procedures dealing with abuse. Though media coverage ignores its efforts, the Catholic Church in the United States today is actually on the forefront of addressing the sexual abuse of minors. It's a story that needs to be told.
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