Our Commitment
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All children have the right to grow up free from abuse. The Archdiocese of Boston has made a Promise to Protect children and youth, provide them with a Safe Environment, and respond quickly and appropriately to any concerns about possible abuse or neglect. To keep that promise we require our clergy, employees, and volunteers to be screened. We require them to be trained to watch out for our children and youth and others in our community who are vulnerable. We teach them to create safe spaces, monitor activities, recognize danger and warning signs of possible problems, and address any concerns that may arise. We support them and we watch over them.
In addition to training our clergy, employees, and volunteers, we also teach our children and youth how to recognize risks, stay safe, and get help if something feels wrong, if they are afraid, or if something happens to them or someone they know.
We have also committed to addressing, as appropriate, the needs of those who have suffered because of sexual abuse by clergy or other church representatives; to investigating and responding to allegations of misconduct involving minors; to removing abusive clergy from active ministry when warranted and consistent with our zero-tolerance policy; and to supporting healing efforts for those who were abused.
Sexual abuse of a child is an abhorrent crime. It should never have happened, not anywhere in society and certainly not in the Catholic Church. But it did. That is something that we must never forget and must never ignore, not even for a moment. We must remain committed to helping those who were hurt and focused on preventing abuse now and in the future.
No one person can solve this problem alone. The solution needs to come from the top down, the bottom up, and from all sides. To help those who were hurt and prevent abuse in the future, we all need to keep our eye on the issue. We all must remain vigilant in our efforts to keep our children safe and to care for those who were abused.
To learn more about what we are doing and how you can help and/or get help, please continue to explore these pages.
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