Promoting Transparency and Accountability

• Communicate with lay people to make them more aware of what is happening in their own church.

• Provide easy access to accurate information about the Catholic church, in Canada and around the world, as we are able.

• Foster financial and governance transparency in parishes and diocese.

“Do not fear transparency. The Church does not need darkness to carry out her work.” Address of Pope Francis to the Bishops of Mexico 13 February, 2016

Lay Catholics are looking for accountability and transparency from their church leaders. The Canadian bishops define accountability as:

“The obligation of one party to answer for how it fulfills its obligations to another.” CCCB p68

Fundamental to accountability is timely and meaningful communication. Concerned Lay Catholics heard repeatedly from parishioners attending parish conversations that the church’s silence is driving people away.

Until we hear from the Church (not through the media) on how they are handling this situation, when and how transparency will occur and what plan is in place to support victims, many Catholics will remain sceptical. Going forward there will be more Catholics who leave in disgust; there will be some who will stay because they believe in God’s Church not the Church as an Institution but will be unwilling to support the Church financially. - St. Clement’s Parish Parishioner

The Canadian Bishops’ guidelines for Protecting Minors contain comprehensive and far-reaching action plans: from very specific requirements to establish, train, support and evaluate initiatives to ensure the protection of minors and vulnerable persons; all the way to reforming and renewing formation programs and adopting approaches to ministry that foster collaboration with laity and address the problem/issue of clericalism. Lay Catholics could benefit from knowing some steps the Canadian bishops have taken to address the crisis. In Canada, each diocese is encouraged to:

• Appoint a Bishop’s Delegate (can be clergy or lay, man or woman) to receive and investigate all allegations of sexual misconduct.

• Appoint an advisory committee made up of qualified people who assist the Bishop’s Delegate with investigations

• Always notify secular authorities in any case of child abuse or criminal misconduct involving its ministers. This is the law in Canada

• Cease requiring confidentiality clauses in settlements of cases of sexual abuse and to waive this given in the past.

• To put safety of children and vulnerable persons first by removing alleged offenders from ministry

Lay people,in holding their church leaders accountable, may wish to familiarize themselves in more detail about what the Canadian bishops have undertaken to do. The change process is only just getting underway: different dioceses are at different stages. Most important is the recognition that change will not happen if lay people do not get involved. In every aspect of their secular lives, lay people have come to expect transparency and accountability. They now expect the same from their church. You can delve more deeply into the Canadian church’s recommended actions here.

Related Resources

Bibliography - Church Reform