|
While you were reading my comments in the last issue of The Catholic Advocate about the fall meeting of the Bishops’ Conference last month, I was reading some truly joyous news from the conference’s auditors concerning the Archdiocese of Newark’s efforts to implement the terms of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. I am happy to report that the auditors have determined, based on their thorough review of our procedures and progress in implementing the charter, that we are working effectively to create and maintain a safe environment for children and youth in the Archdiocese. In addition, the auditors reviewed our procedures and processes for investigating claims of sexual abuse of minors for compliance with the Charter, and found them to be satisfactory as well. A significant reason for the success of our audit was the recognition by the auditors that thousands of you in the Archdiocese – volunteers and staff alike – are stepping up to attend the Protecting God’s Children workshops, undergoing background checks, and demonstrating the commitment of the people of the Local Church of Newark to the Charter and the reporting requirements of the State of New Jersey. Even today, the number of staff and volunteers who have attended training since I reported to you in my last column continues to rise as our recently trained volunteer facilitators conduct workshops in parishes and school. Just as important, and equally encouraging, is that at this very early stage of our efforts to implement background checks, more than 5,000 staff and volunteers have already been through the Choicepoint process and no one has been limited or restricted from serving in ministry to children and youth. As I have said from the beginning, we do not believe that our efforts will uncover predators. They will, however, be a solid demonstration to a potential predator that all of us are vigilant and committed to keeping children safe. The format and speed undertaken to implement this training and distribute information about our safe environment program resulted in inconveniences and strain to many of you. As those of you who attended the large-audience sessions of Protecting God’s Children in October know, the auditors had rejected our original idea of a gradual unfolding of the program at the parish and school level. We were given no choice but to meet the deadlines they imposed on us. Yet you responded to this urgent appeal gracefully, and enthusiastically. I am grateful to you for helping the Archdiocese meet this critical obligation, and for your steadfast insistence that this great Archdiocese be a leader in the Catholic Church’s efforts to restore trust.
|
