Are They Really The Best Ones To Educate On This?
Hey folks,
April is Child Abuse Awareness Month. Great cause. There seems to be more and more instances out there of sexual predators and abusers getting caught. But for everyone caught, there are more doing it. This is why it is important to educate people on the issue. Why it is important to teach your kids to be careful. Teach them to be mindful of their surroundings, their actions, and yes, even in the way they dress. They have to be made aware of "Stranger Danger" and the fact that there REALLY are EVIL people out there that would like nothing more than to harm them.
Education on this subject HAS to start in the home. They have to have a good foundation implanted into them by Mom and Dad. They have to UNDERSTAND the reality of the fact they could very easily be abused. They have to understand what that means. I understand it may be uncomfortable to talk to them about it in detail, but you REALLY HAVE TO.
But then I saw this Press Release. I have to ask the question. Are they really the best ones to be teaching this? I know some of you may get angry about this, but sorry, I just have a problem with it.
Catholic dioceses nationwide will promote Child Abuse Awareness Month in April. Plans call for raising awareness through special prayers during Sunday Masses, diocesan and parish lectures, and other educational activities.
Child Abuse Awareness is a major initiative of the Catholic Church in the United States. As a result, an estimated 1.6 millions persons have undergone background checks; 1.8 million priests, deacons, candidates for ordination, educators, employees and volunteers have gone through safe environment programs and approximately 6 million children in parish school and religious education programs have received age-appropriate instruction in this area.
What about the abuse BY Priests? The fact it has been covered up in the past. The fact that the families of the abused have been paid off in the past. If it happened in the past, why should we feel comfortable that it is NOT happening today?
Some, such as the Diocese of Corpus Christi, Texas; and Grand Island, Nebraska, also are joining their efforts with the Blue Ribbon Campaign of the National Exchange Club Foundation, which promotes the blue ribbon as a national symbol of child abuse awareness. The foundation produces materials for public awareness.
The diocesan and parish efforts were urged by the U.S. bishops' Committee for the Protection of Children and Young People. It provided educational materials, homily resources, prayer cards, intercessory prayers, posters and other materials to each of the 195 dioceses in the United States.
“We can never rest when it comes to protecting children and teenagers,” said Bishop Gregory Aymond, Committee chairman. “The prevalence of child abuse in our society calls for vigilance of parents, pastors, teachers, indeed, all responsible adults. Child Abuse Prevention Month deserves our attention in both prayer and action.”
Yes it does. But when the abuse comes BY the hand of Pastors? They need to be more than moved and hidden in a new location, and the act covered up. To show you are serious, you should make some examples of those that are caught IN the Catholic Church.
In the Corpus Christi Diocese, for example, the Office for Safe Environment has distributed brochures outlining hiring, screening and training requirements related to preventing child abuse. The diocesan newspaper, “South Texas Catholic,” also scheduled a series of articles such as “Grooming Behaviors of Sex Offenders” and “Preventing and Identifying Child Sexual Abuse.” The newspaper also plans to offer a tribute to local Safe Environment Coordinators in mid-April.
START WITH THE CHURCH!
Others, such as Diocese of Davenport, Iowa, the Archdiocese of Dubuque, Iowa, Archdiocese of Kansas City, Kansas and Diocese of Monterey, California, will promote awareness through their diocesan newspaper.
Dioceses are providing information via their Web sites. The Diocese of Manchester, New Hampshire, for example, plans to post on its site a coloring book, originally developed by the Archdiocese of New York for sexual abuse awareness. The resource can be reproduced and distributed or used in schools or religious education programs. Each Monday in April the diocese will feature articles and resources about child safety.
The Diocese of Orlando, Florida, will provide a child abuse prevention video on its Web site. The video can be viewed by anyone, but all diocesan employees are required to view the video and there is a corresponding test that employees must pass. The video was part of a diocesan training program.
Some dioceses are printing “Did You Know” announcements developed by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles for weekly parish bulletins. One announcement highlights the prevalence of child abuse in society and reports that “an estimated 9.6 percent of all school children will be molested by an educator or an employee of a school between kindergarten and 12th grade.” The information comes from Professor David Finkelhor's article, “Current Information on the Scope and Nature of Child Sexual Abuse.”
That would include Church RUN schools. Would it not?
The Diocese of Orange, California, will host a guest speaker who works with adults and child sexual abuse victims to address “The Impact of Sexual Abuse on the Child and the Family.”
The Diocese of Paterson, New Jersey, is publishing on-line a special spring edition of St. Raphael's Messenger, its parent training series so pastors can print it for parents in their parish.
The resource materials sent to dioceses were developed by the Secretariat of Child and Youth Protection and underwritten by the Catholic Communication Campaign, which is supported by a collection taken up annually in parishes to support church media efforts.
Money. {Sigh} OK folks, I understand that this seems like the Catholic Church is stepping up and taking on this very important cause. They may very well have nothing but the best intentions. They may really feel strongly about trying to protect children from this completely life altering abuse. But with their history of abuse and more importantly, the fact they attempted and some say, still attempt to cover it up, are they REALLY the best ones to be teaching this?
Peter
Hey folks,
April is Child Abuse Awareness Month. Great cause. There seems to be more and more instances out there of sexual predators and abusers getting caught. But for everyone caught, there are more doing it. This is why it is important to educate people on the issue. Why it is important to teach your kids to be careful. Teach them to be mindful of their surroundings, their actions, and yes, even in the way they dress. They have to be made aware of "Stranger Danger" and the fact that there REALLY are EVIL people out there that would like nothing more than to harm them.Education on this subject HAS to start in the home. They have to have a good foundation implanted into them by Mom and Dad. They have to UNDERSTAND the reality of the fact they could very easily be abused. They have to understand what that means. I understand it may be uncomfortable to talk to them about it in detail, but you REALLY HAVE TO.
But then I saw this Press Release. I have to ask the question. Are they really the best ones to be teaching this? I know some of you may get angry about this, but sorry, I just have a problem with it.
Catholic dioceses nationwide will promote Child Abuse Awareness Month in April. Plans call for raising awareness through special prayers during Sunday Masses, diocesan and parish lectures, and other educational activities.
Child Abuse Awareness is a major initiative of the Catholic Church in the United States. As a result, an estimated 1.6 millions persons have undergone background checks; 1.8 million priests, deacons, candidates for ordination, educators, employees and volunteers have gone through safe environment programs and approximately 6 million children in parish school and religious education programs have received age-appropriate instruction in this area.
What about the abuse BY Priests? The fact it has been covered up in the past. The fact that the families of the abused have been paid off in the past. If it happened in the past, why should we feel comfortable that it is NOT happening today?
Some, such as the Diocese of Corpus Christi, Texas; and Grand Island, Nebraska, also are joining their efforts with the Blue Ribbon Campaign of the National Exchange Club Foundation, which promotes the blue ribbon as a national symbol of child abuse awareness. The foundation produces materials for public awareness.
The diocesan and parish efforts were urged by the U.S. bishops' Committee for the Protection of Children and Young People. It provided educational materials, homily resources, prayer cards, intercessory prayers, posters and other materials to each of the 195 dioceses in the United States.
“We can never rest when it comes to protecting children and teenagers,” said Bishop Gregory Aymond, Committee chairman. “The prevalence of child abuse in our society calls for vigilance of parents, pastors, teachers, indeed, all responsible adults. Child Abuse Prevention Month deserves our attention in both prayer and action.”Yes it does. But when the abuse comes BY the hand of Pastors? They need to be more than moved and hidden in a new location, and the act covered up. To show you are serious, you should make some examples of those that are caught IN the Catholic Church.
In the Corpus Christi Diocese, for example, the Office for Safe Environment has distributed brochures outlining hiring, screening and training requirements related to preventing child abuse. The diocesan newspaper, “South Texas Catholic,” also scheduled a series of articles such as “Grooming Behaviors of Sex Offenders” and “Preventing and Identifying Child Sexual Abuse.” The newspaper also plans to offer a tribute to local Safe Environment Coordinators in mid-April.
START WITH THE CHURCH!
Others, such as Diocese of Davenport, Iowa, the Archdiocese of Dubuque, Iowa, Archdiocese of Kansas City, Kansas and Diocese of Monterey, California, will promote awareness through their diocesan newspaper.
Dioceses are providing information via their Web sites. The Diocese of Manchester, New Hampshire, for example, plans to post on its site a coloring book, originally developed by the Archdiocese of New York for sexual abuse awareness. The resource can be reproduced and distributed or used in schools or religious education programs. Each Monday in April the diocese will feature articles and resources about child safety.
The Diocese of Orlando, Florida, will provide a child abuse prevention video on its Web site. The video can be viewed by anyone, but all diocesan employees are required to view the video and there is a corresponding test that employees must pass. The video was part of a diocesan training program.
Some dioceses are printing “Did You Know” announcements developed by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles for weekly parish bulletins. One announcement highlights the prevalence of child abuse in society and reports that “an estimated 9.6 percent of all school children will be molested by an educator or an employee of a school between kindergarten and 12th grade.” The information comes from Professor David Finkelhor's article, “Current Information on the Scope and Nature of Child Sexual Abuse.”
That would include Church RUN schools. Would it not?
The Diocese of Orange, California, will host a guest speaker who works with adults and child sexual abuse victims to address “The Impact of Sexual Abuse on the Child and the Family.”
The Diocese of Paterson, New Jersey, is publishing on-line a special spring edition of St. Raphael's Messenger, its parent training series so pastors can print it for parents in their parish.
The resource materials sent to dioceses were developed by the Secretariat of Child and Youth Protection and underwritten by the Catholic Communication Campaign, which is supported by a collection taken up annually in parishes to support church media efforts.
Money. {Sigh} OK folks, I understand that this seems like the Catholic Church is stepping up and taking on this very important cause. They may very well have nothing but the best intentions. They may really feel strongly about trying to protect children from this completely life altering abuse. But with their history of abuse and more importantly, the fact they attempted and some say, still attempt to cover it up, are they REALLY the best ones to be teaching this?
Peter
2 comments:
The Catholic Church should clean up it's own act first.
I was brought up a Catholic but sure as hell am not proud of it now.
I wouldn't give the Catholic Church the powder to blow it to hell now.
Agreed 100 percent Bill
Peter
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