'Will not sit idly by': DOJ sues to prevent Catholic priests from violating secrecy of confessional by having to report

[ancianita]

50. The Catholic Church also has a special relationship with God. The facts about its policies:

The US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has a policy called the "Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People," also known as the Dallas Charter, which outlines procedures for handling allegations of child sexual abuse by clergy. This policy, approved in 2002 and revised in 2011 and 2018, aims to create a "safe environment" within the Church and includes measures like mandatory background checks, training, and reporting procedures.

Here's a more detailed breakdown:

Zero Tolerance Policy:
The charter promotes a "zero tolerance" policy towards sexual abuse, emphasizing prevention and accountability.
Safe Environment:
It commits the Church to providing a safe environment for children and young people in all Church-related activities.

Specific Measures:
The charter mandates several measures, including:
Background Checks: Implementing background checks for all Church employees, volunteers, seminarians, priests, and deacons.
Training: Providing abuse prevention training for those interacting with children.
Code of Conduct: Establishing a code of conduct that prohibits misconduct and boundary violations.
Reporting Procedures: Requiring dioceses to report allegations to civil authorities, conduct investigations, and remove the accused from duty.
Compliance and Audits:
The USCCB established a National Review Board to audit diocesan compliance with the charter.

Church doctrine is the basis of all Catholic Bishops' lives, decisions and actions in fulfilling the mission of Jesus' church on earth, and
the Catechism of the Catholic Church IS the Church's doctrine, and
is available to all (on Amazon) so all people will know the Church's position on "social sin," "society of law," "well being of society" and
30 other issues in the Catechism's Index under "Society,"
20 other doctrinal teaching under "Children," and
hundreds of other related teachings under "Education," "Family," "Marriage," "Parents" and "Common Good," among others.