In 2018, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops published an 143 page document entitled

Protecting Minors from Sexual Abuse: A Call to the Catholic faithful in Canada for Healing, Reconciliation and Transformation

The full document can be freely accessed here

The aim of the document is “to help Church leaders and all involved in Church ministry in Canada to become better informed about sexual abuse of minors; to share in the responsibility of protecting minors and safeguarding pastoral environments; to identify how parishes and institutions can be more accountable and transparent in dealing with instances of sexual abuse of minors; and to understand better the tragic consequences of such abuse so as to ensure the adequacy of pastoral and administrative responses toward survivors and victims.

The present document also presumes and builds upon the conviction that effective leadership and true responsibility involve transparency and the willingness to be accountable. For bishops and others in Church leadership, this means:

  1. Accountability to victims and their families.

  2. Accountability to the people whom they serve and the wider society.

  3. Accountability to one another -as members of the Church and as members of the College of Bishops or of one’s institute.

  4. Accountability to the laws of the church and the laws of the land.”[1]

The CCCB document is addressed primarily to bishops, major superiors, and all who, in view of their ecclesiastical responsibilities, hold positions of authority and have oversight over pastoral staff and volunteers within their respective jurisdictions. In view of protecting minors and promoting the healing of persons and communities affected by sexual abuse, the document will also be of interest to victims-survivors, to those mandated by the competent ecclesiastical authority to work in ministry, to the wider community of Catholic faithful in Canada, as well as to Canadian society.

Each of the Nine Lessons contained in the CCCB document need to be studied and reflected on by lay Catholics. This will allow lay Catholics, first, to understand what the Church’s leadership is committing to do; and second, to hold each bishop accountable for applying these lessons in his diocese.

The Nine Lessons

  1. Need for a Pastoral Encounter with Victims of Clergy Sexual Abuse
  2. Need to Understand Sexual Abuse Properly
  3. Need to Respond More Effectively to Allegations
  4. Dealing with Offenders
  5. Need for Better Safeguarding Practices
  6. Effects on Clergy, Members of Institutes and Laity: Coping with Shame
  7. Need for Better Initial and Ongoing Formation
  8. Learning About Legal Process
  9. Call to Greater Authenticity

Lesson #1: Need for a Pastoral Encounter with Victims of Clergy Sexual Abuse

  1. To ensure victims coming forward for the first time are received in a non-judgmental pastoral encounter where they are welcomed and commended for their courage;
  2. To see that each encounter with a victim conveys the respect, compassion, and solicitude proper to pastoral leadership;
  3. To ensure Church leaders or those appointed to receive complaints on behalf of the bishop/major superior are properly sensitized to the nature of sexual abuse and its effects;
  4. To manifest readiness to accompany the person coming forward on the journey towards healing, helping to identify and address any spiritual and mental health needs;
  5. To continue forming Church leaders in learning to walk and work with victims;
  6. To pray in the community for victims of clergy sexual abuse and for all those affected by abuse (e.g., a prayer service, an annual day of prayer for survivors, a monthly inclusion in the Prayers of the Faithful of a petition for victims of clergy sexual abuse).

Lesson #2: Need to Understand Sexual Abuse Properly

  1. To be well informed on the nature and effects of sexual abuse by drawing from the experience of victims and from the growing field of human, psychological, and social sciences in this area, making good use of peer-reviewed literature, seminars, courses, professional expertise, and other resources (see Part III, Resources);
  2. To provide the members of a diocese/eparchy or institute, including lay staff and volunteers, with ongoing training on the nature and effects of sexual abuse with a view to fostering compassion for victims, correcting myths, and overcoming the stigma associated with being a victim of sexual violence;
  3. To implement safe recruiting procedures for all pastoral staff and volunteers, including identity verification, criminal record check, background check (e.g., contacting referees or previous superiors/employers), interview and assessment, as well as psychological evaluations for prospective candidates to ordained ministry or consecrated life prior to entering a formation program;
  4. To improve communication across diocesan boundaries to ensure that Church leaders are apprised of the necessary information to make prudent decisions about pastoral work assigned to clergy, religious, and lay associates who are being transferred, with similar procedures for seminarians and religious;
  5. To engage wider efforts which promote understanding of sexual abuse, safeguarding, and the de-stigmatization of victims (e.g., the Annual Anglophone Safeguarding Conference);
  6. To remain fully informed concerning the latest requirements of the applicable federal and provincial/ territorial laws;
  7. To support the mandate and efforts of the Canadian Centre for Child Protection

Lesson #3: Need to Respond More Effectively Allegations

  1. To implement reporting mechanisms and ensure they are easy to understand, accessible, and clearly publicized (e.g., to provide on the diocesan website the contact information, such as a dedicated phone number, of the person responsible for receiving allegations or complaints);
  2. To implement a clear process for responding to allegations in a timely manner according to the established protocol of the diocese/eparchy or institute and the requirements of canon and secular law;
  3. To institute an interdisciplinary advisory committee (consisting of a victim, psychologist, spiritual director, canonist, lawyers, insurance broker, law enforcement officer, social worker, communications professional, etc.) in order that the response and follow-up are comprehensive and fully compliant with the norms of the Holy See, the present Guidelines of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB), the local diocesan protocol, the relevant federal or provincial/ territorial statutes, insurance requirements, and best practices;
  4. To inform the alleged offender of the preliminary investigation and of his/her right to legal counsel (both canonical and secular) and the opportunity to seek guidance during the preliminary investigation from a spiritual director and psychologist;
  5. To ensure full cooperation with the civil authorities;
  6. To take appropriate measures to respect the basic presumption in law of an accused person’s innocence until proven otherwise with due regard for public safety;
  7. To keep the community informed in a timely manner of developments during the preliminary investigation while observing the obligations of due process and confidentiality.

Lesson #4: Dealing with Offenders

  1. To identify and address public safety concerns vis-à-vis an offender;
  2. To tackle as best as possible the complex issue of pastoral and canonical responsibility toward offenders;
  3. To extend appropriate pastoral assistance as much as possible with due regard for justice and public safety;
  4. To respond with transparency to appropriate requests for information about an offender. 1.

Lesson #5: Need for Better Safeguarding Practices

  1. To take all necessary steps to ensure that safeguarding is prioritized in the diocese/eparchy or institute;
  2. To implement/update a diocesan safeguarding policy conforming to the highest standards of responsible ministry, including instruction on appropriate boundaries in pastoral relationships (e.g., through a code of conduct);
  3. To ensure the safeguarding policy of the diocese/eparchy or institute is easy to understand and readily accessible to the public, e.g., posted on the diocesan website, printed as a booklet, etc.;
  4. To support fellow bishops and major superiors in their safeguarding efforts;
  5. To submit all policies, protocols, and practices to third party auditing at least once every four years;
  6. To ensure all pastoral staff receive proper safe environment training, including how to recognize the signs of abuse and how to report suspected sexual abuse; 37
  7. To seek the input of parents, civil authorities, educators, and community organizations in crafting diocesan policies and providing appropriate training for all pastoral staff;
  8. To see that the Guidelines included with the present document together with the policies and protocols of the diocese/eparchy or institute form the basis of any safe environment training program;
  9. To ensure safeguarding policies are regularly updated, taking into account any new needs and circumstances;
  10. To recommend that each of the institutes situated within the territory of a diocese/eparchy have their own up-to-date safeguarding policies and that a copy be provided to the local bishop for his records.

Lesson #6: Effects on Clergy, Members of Institutes and Laity: Coping with Shame

  1. To acknowledge and address the spiritual and emotional impact of the sexual abuse crisis on the vitality of the Church, helping clergy and laity to overcome their shame, confront negative images and stereotypes, and ultimately serve with joy and serenity;
  2. To ensure that communities affected by abuse are offered adequate accompaniment, support, and encouragement on the journey toward healing;
    1. to ensure clergy and pastoral staff who have been affected by a sexual abuse scandal receive adequate support;
  3. To work toward a new understanding of the role of clergy in society and the spiritual underpinnings necessary for healthy ministry;
  4. To encourage life-giving pastoral commitments despite challenging conditions for ministry and evangelization;
  5. To promote and encourage ministry to children and youth with proper safeguards in place;
  6. To expand on new forms of ministry which rely on greater collaboration with the laity in the spirit of mutuality and co-responsibility;
  7. To invest time and effort in healthy, wholesome friendships, and regular prayer;
  8. To ensure that particular issues which affect the mental health of clergy and lay pastoral associates, such as isolation, burnout, pornography, and alcohol, to mention a few, can be addressed with professional and spiritual help

Lesson #7: Need for Better Initial and Ongoing Formation

  1. To place greater emphasis on the human dimension within initial formation programs, ensuring its integration with the spiritual, intellectual, and pastoral facets of Pastores dabo vobis, the Ratio Fundamentalis (201, and the directives of this Episcopal Conference;
  2. To provide opportunities within the diocese/eparchy or institute for holistic ongoing formation – spiritual, intellectual, human, and pastoral – based on an informed assessment of the new and increasingly complex needs of clergy and religious; and, to make a personal commitment as leaders to the same, guiding by way of example;
  3. To ensure that specific training is offered to address matters such as the experience of victims, the impact on families and communities, detection of abuse, ministry to survivors, and relevant laws (canon and secular);
  4. To ensure initial and ongoing formation to address the attitudes and behaviours necessary for long-term safeguarding;
  5. To encourage and further develop different ways of fostering and growing a sense of community, friendship, and solidarity among clergy and religious (e.g., study days, times of recollection, annual retreats, etc.);
  6. To implement adequate procedures for screening candidates for ministry, which may include a multidisciplinary selection committee;
  7. To assess regularly screening procedures for their effectiveness and adequacy;
  8. To evaluate regularly programs for personal and human formation in light of the highest standards of safeguarding in ministry;
  9. To address with candidates for ministry the topics of psychosexual maturity, interpersonal boundaries, leadership and service in ministry, and the abuse of status and authority;
  10. To ensure that all clergy and religious who have been invited to serve the Catholic faithful in Canada are fully updated on local policies, protocols, and practices, as well as expectations regarding interpersonal boundaries.
  1. To seek out the services of expert legal counsel (both canonical and secular);
  2. To remain up-to-date on the relevant canonical and secular legislation as well as the Guidelines of this Episcopal Conference;
  3. To root the victim’s legal rights in the need to redress injustice and to foster Christian charity and the expression of compassion in the interests of healing and reconciliation;
  4. To withstand pressures which may allow legal methods or financial repercussions to interfere with a genuinely pastoral response, ensuring that any advice received remains at the service of the Gospel;
  5. To cease requiring confidentiality clauses in settlements of cases of sexual abuse and to waive those given in the past;
  6. To strive for an outcome which satisfies the desire for accountability and transparency, and which enables all parties to achieve a sense of closure;
  7. To address any feelings of betrayal and disappointment on the part of the faithful with respect and courage.

Lesson #9: Call to Greater Authenticity

  1. To recognize that the sexual abuse crisis is a symptom of a disorder in a Church called to undergo a profound pastoral conversion and purification in order to accomplish its mission with greater transparency and accountability;
  2. To work toward a culture of dialogue at every level of a diocese/eparchy or institute;
  3. To continue to pursue institutional practices which foster accountability, transparency, and responsibility;
  4. To model through words and actions a pastoral attitude rooted in repentance and conversion;
  5. To collaborate with fellow Church leaders, especially on a regional basis, in implementing effective mechanisms of accountability;
  6. To include in the guidelines of the diocese/eparchy or institute a commitment to article 3 and article 19 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of a Child;
  7. To invest time and create opportunities at the local level, involving the Catholic faithful who are ready to minister in a spirit of co-responsibility, in order that shared concern for all in the name of Jesus Christ produces a more responsible environment for everyone and particularly for the protection of minors;

  8. To establish practices where clergy, religious, and laity can be mutually accountable to each other for their actions and attitudes;

  9. To exercise their ministry as pastors collaboratively and in communion with those entrusted to their care.