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Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People

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The June 2002 meeting of the USCCB was unprecedented in that it had an exclusive focus: the adoption of a collective response to the spate of charges and admissions of sexual abuse by priests and bishops, many of them involving minors. The meeting was also unusual because of the atmosphere created by the presence of media and victims, especially those from SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests). The thrust of the charter was the adoption of a "zero tolerance" policy for sexual abuse.

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The June 2002 meeting of the USCCB was unprecedented in that it had an exclusive focus: the adoption of a collective response to the spate of charges and admissions of sexual abuse by priests and bishops, many of them involving minors. The meeting was also unusual because of the atmosphere created by the presence of media and victims, especially those from SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests). In his opening address Bishop Wilton Gregory called the current situation “a very grave crisis, perhaps the gravest” the Catholic Church in the United States has ever faced. It is not about a lack of faith in God, he said, but “a profound loss of confidence by the faithful in our leadership as shepherds.” He confessed the bishops’ guilt: “Both ‘what we have done’ and ‘what we have failed to do’ contributed to the sexual abuse of children and young people by clergy and Church personnel.” The USCCB approved a Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People that pledged the Catholic Church in the U.S. to providing a "safe environment" for all children in Church-sponsored activities. To accomplish this, the U.S. bishops made a commitment to develop uniform procedures for handling sex-abuse allegations against lay teachers in Catholic schools, parish staff members, coaches and other people who represent the Church to young people. The thrust of the charter was the adoption of a "zero tolerance" policy for sexual abuse.