Victim Assistance Coordinators Can Help Heal the Church, Bishop Says

Georgia Bulletin
August 22, 2012

http://www.georgiabulletin.org/world/2012/08/21/NEWS-1/

OMAHA, Neb. (CNS) -- Bishops need help restoring trust and healing wounds inflicted on the faithful by the clergy sexual abuse scandal, and people who work in the church to assist victims and create safe environments for children can be key partners, the chairman of the U.S. bishops' Committee on the Protection of Children and Young People said Aug. 13. Despite efforts over the last decade by bishops and others in the church to atone for wrongs done and take swift action when abuse is reported, many Catholics "remain hurt, angry, cynical and confused," Bishop R. Daniel Conlon of Joliet, Ill., told more than 100 people at the National Safe Environment and Victim Assistance Coordinators Leadership Conference in Omaha. Safe environment and victim assistance coordinators carrying out duties called for by the bishops' 2002 "Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People" are good candidates to assist bishops as they strive to make the church safe for children and young people and overcome mistrust and anger, the bishop said. "You are the fresh faces," he said. "Most of you are lay members of the Christian faithful, with secular credentials and without so much built-in conflict of interest. As such, you are in a position to bring new credibility and energy to the critical task of healing the wounds and rebuilding trust." It is a long-term project that includes day-to-day tasks such as contacting victim survivors, arranging counseling programs, scheduling training sessions, giving talks and filling out forms, Bishop Conlon said.