Catholic Priests in Montreal Banned from Being Alone with Children

The Guardian (UK) ^ | 6/24/16 | Harriet Sherwood

[marshmallow]

New policy, which includes church workers and volunteers, intended as ‘safety net’ against allegations of sex abuse, but critics say move is ‘too little, too late’

Catholic priests in Montreal will be banned from being alone with children to provide a “safety net” against allegations of abuse.

Archbishop Christian Lepine has issued a decree to implement the policy, which also covers lay workers and volunteers.

According to the decree, the move was to “ensure the safety and integrity of the people to whom we bring the Gospel message and offer our pastoral care”. But, it added, it was also “to preserve the integrity, security and good reputation of God’s people”.

In an accompanying letter, Lepine said: “Recent events brought to light the horrific reality of abuse of minors and vulnerable people by members of the church. These intolerable situations have shocked and shaken the Universal Church as well as the entire population.”

Pope Francis and his predecessors had issued clear instructions that every Catholic diocese must take necessary measures to prevent the abuse of children and vulnerable adults, the letter said.

Implementation of the policy is to begin with a pilot project involving a dozen parishes from September, and will subsequently be rolled out across the diocese.

The policy would cover anyone “in the orbit of the church” to create a “safety net”, Canon Francois Sarrazin told the Canadian Press.

[marshmallow]

Jesus said "Suffer the little children, and forbid them not to come to me" (Matt 19: 14) but this is what it's now come to in the Church. This is what the "pink palaces" known as seminaries have wrought. A complete destruction of trust in the priesthood.

[irish guard]

The way things seem to be ping here in the US, there are a lot of teachers in the public schools who shouldn’t be allowed to be alone with kids either.

[irish guard]

Those seminaries sure did screw (heheh screw) the priesthood. Marshmallow, if you get a chance, read ‘Goodbye Good Men.’ Tells all about it. And Pope Benedict did a lot to fix that mess until he ‘retired.’

[lurk]

Most churches have policy keeping adults from being alone with children. How is it that the catholic church is decades behind on this basic idea?

[piusv]

So, how do these “children” go to confession?

[opus1]

This is stupid and useless, another “C.Y.A.” policy totally unconcerned about actually protecting children. If an adult is depraved and deceptive enough to molest children, would not that person be depraved and deceptive enough to disobey a policy?

Ah, but get it on the books so when a homosexual priest does sneak a boy off somewhere, and the child is hurt, and the police come, and the parents sue, his Excellency the Bishop, the Parish Council and the Vatican are untouchable because, after all, they had a policy! How could they imagine it would be violated?

This is not a “policy” issue! It’s an issue of the lack of integrity and holiness now rife in the priesthood to the highest level.

[SgtHooper]

Still going on!! O-M-G!!