By Patrick Downes Hawaii Catholic Herald An audit conducted in July found the Diocese of Honolulu in full compliance with the U.S. bishops’ “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People,” the set of procedures the bishops established in 2002 for addressing allegations of sexual abuse of minors by Catholic clergy. A letter […]
Youth protection conference relies on the guidance of Mary
By Kristin Leandro Special to the Herald Since 2006, four years after the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) developed and implemented the “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People,” American dioceses have taken turns hosting an annual conference for the safe environment directors and victim assistance coordinators who serve in the nation’s […]
Audit finds diocese in full compliance with safe environment charter
By Patrick Downes Hawaii Catholic Herald A three-day on-site independent audit conducted in October found the Diocese of Honolulu’s safe environment policies and procedures in full compliance with the U.S. bishops’ “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People.” The Charter is the set of procedures the bishops established in 2002 for addressing allegations […]
New safe environment training program offers both on-line and classroom options
The Diocese of Honolulu has a new safe environment sexual abuse prevention training program called VIRTUS for church employees and volunteers who work with minors. VIRTUS became active Jan. 1, taking the place of the old program, Shield the Vulnerable. VIRTUS offers two training options: online or in a class. Online training takes about […]
VIRTUS, safe environment program for diocese, begins Jan. 1
Story and photo by Patrick Downes Hawaii Catholic Herald VIRTUS will soon be a familiar word in the diocese. Derived from the Latin word for excellence, it is the name of a “safe environment” program, aimed at keeping children safe from sexual abuse. Primarily a program that trains church employees and volunteers on the recognition […]
Diocese changing program for safe environment training
The Diocese of Honolulu is upgrading to a new program for its adult safe environment training, the instruction on the recognition and prevention of sexual abuse of minors required of every church employee or volunteers who works with children and youth. Starting Jan. 1, the diocese will use VIRTUS, an on-line and in-person training program […]
Obligation to ‘Charter’ keeps church a ‘safe environment’
By Kristin Leandro Special to the Herald Did you know that June 2017 marked 15 years since the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) implemented the “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People” in response to the clergy sex abuse scandal? The “Charter,” as it is commonly called, developed a comprehensive set […]
Keeping our youth safe is everyone’s job
APRIL: NATIONAL CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION MONTH By Kristin Leandro Special to the Herald April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. First established by presidential proclamation in 1983, it is an opportunity to recognize and acknowledge the importance of families and communities coming together to prevent child abuse and neglect, as well as promote the emotional […]
Diocese in full compliance with Charter
By Kristin Leandro Special to the Herald Following a three-day site audit last month by a Mainland auditing firm, the Diocese of Honolulu has been found in full compliance with the U.S. bishops’ “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People.” In June 2002, four months after the crisis of child sexual abuse by […]
2015 a busy year for diocesan safe environment initiatives
The headlines have been absent from the front pages for a while, but the sexual abuse of children by priests and religious remains an active and ongoing concern for the Catholic Church, including the church in Hawaii. The effort is two-fold: reaching out to past victims and preventing new ones. These are not new activities […]
