Charlottetown bishop welcomes new guidelines aimed at protecting minors from abuse

The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops has released new guidelines intended toprevent and investigate child sexual abuse.

It's called, Protecting Minors from Sexual Abuse: A Call to the Catholic Faithful in Canada for Healing, Reconciliation, and Transformation.

The document was compiled with input from leaders of the Catholic Church, professionals in social work and psychology, as well as victims.

69 recommendations

It's 184 pages long and contains 69 recommendations, including putting victims first and ensuring background checks for staff and volunteers.

It also recommends stopping the practice of confidentiality clauses in settlements with victims.

Our first role of action has to be to listen to those who are hurting. Bishop Richard Grecco

Richard Grecco, the Roman Catholic Bishop for the Diocese of Charlottetown, said in the past, the church was focused on protecting the institution.

But now, the focus is on listening.

"Our first role of action has to be to listen to those who are hurting. I think that's the biggest change and I think this document is not only inviting priests and bishops to change their approach to more listening and less judgment ... it's inviting the whole church, all people to have an open heart and mind to people who are often in anger or in fear and they need to be heard and we need to listen."

Grecco said a copy of the report will be given to every parish, and learning sessions will be set up with parishes and committees.

Important to raise awareness

He said it's important to raise awareness of the new guidelines not just among priests but within entire congregations.

"I really welcome this because in our diocese we have had a program in our parishes called Strengthening the Caring Community and that is a program to promote a safe environment in the parish and to protect vulnerable people like children and elderly," he said.

"And it has been in place for several years now and it too now needs updating and we're going to be using these guidelines to revise the program that we currently have in place in all of our parishes."

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With files from Jessica Doria-Brown