Charter
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops created the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People in June 2002, which addresses allegations of sexual abuse of minors by Catholic clergy.
This Charter led to the creation of the Office of Safe Environment at the Diocese of Owensboro. The Office of Safe Environment works for the protection of children, young people and other vulnerable individuals who have been entrusted to the care of our parishes, schools, religious education classes and other diocesan programs.
The Charter also includes guidelines for reconciliation, healing, accountability and prevention of future acts of abuse.
Mission
The mission of the diocese’s “Safe Environment Program” is to insure the safety of children and young people who have been entrusted to our care in our parishes, schools, religious education classes, and other programs.
We pursue this mission in four ways:
- By thoroughly screening and supervising all Church ministers, employees and volunteers who work with children and young people as part of their ministry.
- By providing appropriate training in recognizing and reporting child abuse.
- By verifying that all Church ministers, employees and volunteers who work with children and young people are prepared to follow Christ-centered and professional codes of conduct and respond appropriately to allegations of sexual abuse.
- By providing the opportunity for every minor in Catholic schools and parish faith formation programs to participate annually in a safety training covering the topics of sexual abuse prevention and the need to tell if abuse is occurring.
Click here to read the Annual Report, Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People.