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Child and Youth Protection and Safety | F-3
that the common good might require ecclesiastical
authority to restrict public ministry to ensure that
child safety is protected.
Standards of Conduct
and Training
Article 6 of the
Charter
recognizes that one of the
proven ways to better assure the protection of chil-
dren and youth in the Church’s pastoral care is for
dioceses and eparchies to establish “clear and well
publicized diocesan/eparchial standards of ministe-
rial behavior and appropriate boundaries for clergy
and for any other paid personnel and volunteers
of the Church in positions of trust who have regu-
lar contact with children and young people.” In a
related way, Article 12 of the
Charter
provides that,
“Dioceses/eparchies are to make clear to clergy and
all members of the community the standards of con-
duct for clergy and other persons in positions of trust
with regard to children.”
Training programs for international priests, dea-
cons, and other ministers should include training
in standards of behavior and boundaries for integ-
rity in ministry. This is especially important given
the variance that might exist from country to coun-
try and culture to culture concerning what consti-
tutes acceptable behavior toward minors in specific
instances. An acceptable behavior in one country
might constitute a boundary violation or an illegal
or tortious act in the United States. International
pastoral ministers, therefore, should be given very
clear indicators of proper behavioral standards and
expectations for assuring integrity in ministry.
On a broader level, safe environment training
for international priests, deacons, and other minis-
ters should take into account the diversity of cul-
tural perspectives that international ministers bring
with them. This might include, for example, the role
of women in US culture generally, and specifically
within the Church. The status of children and young
people as persons who are to be protected and kept
from harm is also a significant element of training.
Cultural Considerations
Finally, international pastoral ministers, like all those
who minister in a diocese or eparchy, should be aware
of the unique characteristics of various cultural and
ethnic groups that are in the diocese or eparchy and
how the protection of children and young people is
best served in light of the needs of these members
of the faithful. Training of international pastoral
ministers should also take into account the cultural
background of the ministers themselves. Dioceses
or eparchies that are unable to offer safe environ-
ment training that takes into account cultural dif-
ferences can find supplementary resources elsewhere.
Examples of this cultural adaptation of training
already exist and should be expanded in the future.
1
Article 13 of the
Charter
requires that dioceses/
eparchies “evaluate the background of all incardi-
nated and non-incardinated priests and deacons
who are engaged in ecclesiastical ministry in the
diocese/eparchy and of all diocesan/eparchial and
parish/school or other paid personnel and volunteers
whose duties include ongoing, unsupervised con-
tact with minors. Specifically, they are to utilize the
resources of law enforcement and other community
agencies. In addition, they are to employ adequate
screening and evaluative techniques in deciding the
fitness of candidates for ordination (cf. United States
Conference of Catholic Bishops,
Program of Priestly
Formation
[Fifth Edition], 2006, no. 39).”
Criminal Background Checks
Many dioceses, eparchies, institutes of consecrated
life, and societies of apostolic life use the services
of vendors to conduct international criminal back-
ground checks. Questions to raise when dioceses,
eparchies, institutes, or societies select a vendor and
ask information of the sending diocese, eparchy,
institute, or society can include:
• What records can be accessed by this vendor?
• How are records checked?
• Which crimes or other forms of misconduct will
be reported to the client?
• What assurances does the vendor make to guar-
antee that its reports are complete and accurate,
and how are the interests of the diocese, epar-
chy, institute, or society protected if the vendor
makes an error?
Prior to any ministerial assignment involving
children and young people, all individuals should
be fully vetted. This process may include a personal
interview to assure the diocese, eparchy, institute,
or society of the suitability of international pasto-
ral ministers to serve in the context of working
1 For example, VIRTUS has, “The Safe Environment Awareness
Program for International Priests.”