Catholic Church Has Learned From, Responded to Its Mistakes, by David Hains, Charlotte Observer, November 13, 2011

Catholic Church Has Learned From, Responded to Its Mistakes

By David Hains
Charlotte Observer
November 13, 2011

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/11/13/2770715/catholic-church-has-learned-from.html

Hains

From David Hains, director of communications for the Diocese of Charlotte:

I'd like to set the record straight about the op-ed column by New York Times columnist Frank Bruni ( "The molester we often know" - Nov. 9 Viewpoint) as it pertains to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte.

In writing about the allegations of child abuse that are emerging from Penn State University, Mr. Bruni writes, "That has been true of the Roman Catholic Church, whose diocesan heads and bishops repeatedly transferred abusive priests from one parish to another rather than report them to law enforcement authorities. This cover-up spanned decades and went all the way up the hierarchy of the church."

Individuals in the Church who committed criminal acts made serious mistakes, but as with all mistakes, we can learn, we can respond effectively, appropriately and compassionately.

Zero tolerance policy

For the past nine years the Catholic Church has set an example of what an organization should do when confronted with the sinful crime of sexual abuse of children. Beginning in 2002, with the adoption of the "Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People," the bishops of the United States adopted a zero tolerance policy for sexual misconduct on the part of Church workers.

In some cases, decades old allegations that could not even be prosecuted led to the removal of priests from ministry - all in the name of safety for children.

As a part of its ongoing commitment to providing a safe environment for children, sexual abuse awareness training programs and background checks are now mandatory in the Diocese of Charlotte for all church employees and for the thousands of people who volunteer their time in the 93 parishes and missions of the Church. So far 32,338 individuals have had background checks and 28,791 people have attended the three-hour training session, "Protecting God's Children."

During the most recent fiscal year the costs for background checks and training was $100,077. The diocese also paid $69,019 for counseling and medication for victims and for legal costs in connection with sexual misconduct lawsuits.

The diocese willingly accepts these expenditures and will do so into the foreseeable future because of its strong commitment to protecting children and young people who are entrusted to its care.

A new tragedy

News organizations like the Charlotte Observer and the New York Times wrote exhaustively about what occurred in the Catholic Church, and now we learn anew of deeply disturbing allegations involving sexual crimes and children that apparently took place at a well-known university.

It is a tragedy, as it always is, for the children. For the rest of us it is a reminder of our shared duty to protect the young.