Prevention

Insert summary of Prevention here.

1. The current crisis in the Church is first and foremost about sexual abuse.

These efforts will be centered in the National Catholic School of Social Services and in our Department of Sociology. We will partner with the Executive Director of the USCCB Office of Child and Youth Protection.

  • Launch the Institute for the Prevention and Treatment of Sexual Abuse (IPTSA).
  • The institute’s primary aim would be to serve as a hub for resources, trainings, and research focused on eliminating sexual abuse from the Church, the nation, and the world.
  • To achieve this aim, the Institute would have three areas of focus: a resource portal, training services, and research on the prevention and treatment of sexual abuse.
  • Create a new academic concentration in child protection.

2. A second aspect of the crisis is the infidelity of priests to the promise of celibacy.

  • Undertake a large-scale survey of priests to understand common challenges and risk factors that could lead to abuse.
  • Promote research on the value of celibacy to the priesthood.

3. Understand that the sexual abuse crisis is as a widespread failure in the management of human resources.

This effort will be centered in the Busch School of Business.

  • Two years ago we began a certificate program entitled Management as Ministry. Its goal is to provide seminarians and newly ordained priests with a foundational understanding of business best practices.
  • Last year we began a Master of Science in Ecclesial Administration and Management. This is a professional degree that prepares clergy for effective and efficient parish and diocesan leadership.
  • Last summer we offered a similar short course to two dozen newly ordained bishops.
  • Extend these courses, workshops, and degree programs to female religious and to deacons and lay leaders in parishes and dioceses.
  • Conduct assessments and offer dissemination of existing best practices.

Return to Mission

Remediation