Guidelines for Receiving Pastoral Ministers in the USA

best served in light of the needs of these members of the faithful. Training of international pastoral ministers should also take into account the cultural background of the ministers themselves. Dioceses or eparchies that are unable to offer safe environ ment training that takes into account cultural dif ferences can find supplementary resources elsewhere. Examples of this cultural adaptation of training already exist and should be expanded in the future. 1 Article 13 of the Charter requires that dioceses/ eparchies “evaluate the background of all incardi nated and non-incardinated priests and deacons who are engaged in ecclesiastical ministry in the diocese/eparchy and of all diocesan/eparchial and parish/school or other paid personnel and volunteers whose duties include ongoing, unsupervised con tact with minors. Specifically, they are to utilize the resources of law enforcement and other community agencies. In addition, they are to employ adequate screening and evaluative techniques in deciding the fitness of candidates for ordination (cf. United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Program of Priestly Formation [Fifth Edition], 2006, no. 39).” Criminal Background Checks Many dioceses, eparchies, institutes of consecrated life, and societies of apostolic life use the services of vendors to conduct international criminal back ground checks. Questions to raise when dioceses, eparchies, institutes, or societies select a vendor and ask information of the sending diocese, eparchy, institute, or society can include: • What records can be accessed by this vendor? • How are records checked? • Which crimes or other forms of misconduct will be reported to the client? • What assurances does the vendor make to guar antee that its reports are complete and accurate, and how are the interests of the diocese, epar chy, institute, or society protected if the vendor makes an error? Prior to any ministerial assignment involving children and young people, all individuals should be fully vetted. This process may include a personal interview to assure the diocese, eparchy, institute, or society of the suitability of international pasto ral ministers to serve in the context of working

that the common good might require ecclesiastical authority to restrict public ministry to ensure that child safety is protected. Standards of Conduct and Training Article 6 of the Charter recognizes that one of the proven ways to better assure the protection of chil dren and youth in the Church’s pastoral care is for dioceses and eparchies to establish “clear and well publicized diocesan/eparchial standards of ministe rial behavior and appropriate boundaries for clergy and for any other paid personnel and volunteers of the Church in positions of trust who have regu lar contact with children and young people.” In a related way, Article 12 of the Charter provides that, “Dioceses/eparchies are to make clear to clergy and all members of the community the standards of con duct for clergy and other persons in positions of trust with regard to children.” Training programs for international priests, dea cons, and other ministers should include training in standards of behavior and boundaries for integ rity in ministry. This is especially important given the variance that might exist from country to coun try and culture to culture concerning what consti tutes acceptable behavior toward minors in specific instances. An acceptable behavior in one country might constitute a boundary violation or an illegal or tortious act in the United States. International pastoral ministers, therefore, should be given very clear indicators of proper behavioral standards and expectations for assuring integrity in ministry. On a broader level, safe environment training for international priests, deacons, and other minis ters should take into account the diversity of cul tural perspectives that international ministers bring with them. This might include, for example, the role of women in US culture generally, and specifically within the Church. The status of children and young people as persons who are to be protected and kept from harm is also a significant element of training. Cultural Considerations Finally, international pastoral ministers, like all those who minister in a diocese or eparchy, should be aware of the unique characteristics of various cultural and ethnic groups that are in the diocese or eparchy and how the protection of children and young people is

1 For example, VIRTUS has, “The Safe Environment Awareness Program for International Priests.”

Child and Youth Protection and Safety | F-3