Office of Communications

News Release

April 18, 2002

Catholic Diocese makes sex abuse screening policies mandatory for volunteers.

Bishop Walter F. Sullivan, the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Richmond, issued a policy statement yesterday that makes the existing procedures for screening church volunteers mandatory.

Diocesan regulations have already included mandatory screening procedures for all lay and religious employees in parishes and schools, including extensive screening of seminarians and priests. Included among those procedures, the regulations gave to pastors and principals the option of screening volunteers who work with children in parish and school settings. That screening of volunteers is now a requirement in every parish and school of the Diocese.

Bishop Sullivan wrote to all priests, pastoral coordinators and principals of the Diocese, in a letter yesterday, out of concern that protective measures against the sexual abuse of minors not be limited only to the clergy. He urged them to remember that the preventive measures included in the Diocesan Regulations about sexual abuse extend to screening volunteers as well as to employees.

A large number of Diocesan institutions have been screening volunteers on a regular basis for several years. The Diocese is pulling together experiences where screening measures have been effective in weeding out and thwarting potential volunteers who have a history of sexual abuse of minors. Screening works with volunteers, and now is required.

A copy of Bishop Sullivan’s letter is attached. It spells out those sections of the Diocesan Regulations that pertain to screening of lay and religious employees and volunteers. The Diocesan Office of Human Resources issued those regulations in 1998 under the supervision of Mr. Michael Bechelli, the Diocesan Director of Human Resources.

CONTACT: Mr. Michael Bechelli, Director of Human Resources – Richmond Office: 804-359-5661; mbechelli@richmonddiocese.org