Diocesan Office of Safe Environment provides policy updates
Three years after promulgating his pastoral letter “From Tragedy to Hope,” Bishop Barry C. Knestout continues to direct the “building blocks of renewal” in the local Church, according to a summary of updates released by the Diocese of Richmond’s Office of Safe Environment, Monday, Oct. 25.
Among those “building blocks” is an ongoing process of strengthening policies and programs for child protection and vulnerable adults. The summary highlighted several safe environment efforts that have occurred in 2021.
April 1, Bishop Knestout promulgated the revised edition of the diocesan Safe Environment Regulations. The handbook’s purpose is to “provide the Diocese of Richmond with an official procedure and structure to address allegations of sexual abuse of minors and vulnerable adults by clergy and Church personnel.”
Many of the updates aligned the diocesan regulations with “Vos Estis Lux Mundi,” the “motu proprio” (“on one’s own initiative”) issued by Pope Francis in 2019. That document outlines for the universal Church specific processes for reporting and investigating accusations dealing with sexual abuse.
The handbook’s revisions also clarify procedural points regarding cases of sexual abuse of minors that were issued by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) through its “Vademecum” (“handbook”) on July 16, 2020.
Updates within the diocesan manual include but are not limited to:
- addressing guidelines for safe virtual meetings with minors;
- registered sex offenders on school or church property;
- guidelines for creating a safe environment online for virtual meetings that involve minors;
- a parental consent form for virtual gatherings; and
- initiating a safe environment program for teens who are employed or serving as volunteers.
Beginning in April, the diocesan Office of Safe Environment required mandatory training for any teen employed with the diocese, per the revised regulations. The training is completed online through a VIRTUS training module known as “Boundaries Module for Youth Who are Employees or Volunteers.” The training is highly recommended for teen volunteers.
This requirement is to strengthen the protection of not only children, but youth who may serve in various roles within the diocese and parishes, according to the release. The training is intended to help teens identify the difference between healthy and unhealthy relationships, recognize boundaries and to be able to quickly inform adults of unsafe situations.
An additional online training section was created for vulnerable adults. In September, training became available and is recommended for those whose ministries serve vulnerable adults in the diocese.
The training focuses on best practices on proper behavior to prevent abuse and steps to respond if an individual is made aware of a problem. This supplemental training is part of the VIRTUS program “Protecting God’s Children for Adults,” which is the safe environment program in the Diocese of Richmond.
The revised diocesan Safe Environment Regulations can be found online at www.richmonddiocese.org.