Montreal priests to be prohibited from being alone with children

The Catholic Church of Montreal plans to bar priests, volunteers and all those involved in faith education from being alone with children.

Franois Sarrazin, chancellorof the Montreal Archdiocese,said a pilot project to beginin 10 churcheslater this year is a preventative measureand that churches in other provinces including Ontariohave already implemented similar policies.

• $18M settlement approved for Quebec sex abuse victims
• The Pope in Montreal? It could happen next year,Coderresays

"It's important that the church shows it's making an effort and that our society can have confidence in the church and can say 'they did their homework, now they're credible,'" he said.

The pilot will involve French-speaking,English-speaking andparishes from various cultural communities that volunteer to participateand diocesan offices and services.

Sarrazin said it's important to protect not just children, but all vulnerable people whoseek out pastoralcare, including the elderly.

'Protecting the church'

The measure is part of a policy the archdiocese iscalling"Responsible Pastoral Ministry."

Sarrazin said while the church has been rocked in recent years by allegations of sexual abuseof children, those allegations aren't always founded.

"To give [their story] importance, a child can give an account of an incident that isn't always true," he said.

For that reason, the policy is already in place, butin an unofficial capacity, Sarrazin said.

When asked to clarify the reasons behind the policy, Sarrazinnamed three.

"Protecting victims, protecting families, protecting the church," he said.

Sarrazintold Radio-Canadaa child would be accompanied by their parents for rites such as confession.The parents would besitting further away,but would still be able to see their child.

'Damage control,' victims' group says

Quebec's Association of Victims of Priests calls the move too little, too late.

"Thisis damage control. The church has suffered a lot of flak because of its inaction about pedophile priests.But this is just a baby step. It needs to do an awful lot more," saidCarlo Tarini, a spokesman for the group.

John Zucchi, a professor in thedepartment of history and classical studies at Montreal's McGill University, said the pilot project is a first step.

"Many of these victims have a very painful past and suffered unjustly ... I understand their frustration ... Thelocaldiocese is going to take this one step at a time. If these guidelines are not enough, I'm sure there will be more action."

He added thatthe Vatican will be watching closely.

"Historically, there have been people, religious people, who have called for safeguardsit's come from the grassroots. But this time here inparticularit's coming from Rome the Vatican,Pope Benedict and nowPope Franciswho pushed for all types of safeguards.The dioceses around theworld have been following on these indications from Rome."