The COVID-19 pandemic has not stopped the Archdiocese of Washington’s Office of Child Protection & Safe Environment from “the never-ending battle of working tirelessly and diligently to eradicate” abuse of minors and adults, according to the executive director of that office.

“The importance of safe environment training has not been detoured because of the pandemic,” said Courtney Chase, the executive director of the Office of Child Protection & Safe Environment. “Pandemic or no pandemic, we believe that every individual ­– regardless of age or sex or anything else – has the right to a safe environment.”

Chase spoke with the Catholic Standard as part of the Archdiocese of Washington’s observance of April as National Child Sexual Abuse and Sexual Assault Prevention Awareness Month.

“The fact that the archdiocese observes this month illustrates how we as an archdiocese have expanded our approach to the protection of all community members, no matter who they are,” Chase said. “I think every month should be Child Sexual Abuse and Sexual Assault Prevention Awareness Month. However, this month illuminates for everyone that even as we stay at home, these egregious acts can occur.”

Cardinal Wilton Gregory, in a letter to all priests of the archdiocese, has encouraged the clergy to “bring to light the importance of eradicating these egregious actions” and “pray together to honor victims, survivors and their families” during this month.

He suggested that parishes remember in their Mass’s prayer of the faithful the victims and survivors of sexual abuse and sexual assault; anyone affected by sexual abuse and sexual assault; and for the members of the community to have the courage to fight against child sexual abuse and sexual assault.

“As we work together to bring this darkness in our community to light, let us continue to embrace those who are suffering with such pain and respond in a way that supports healing, comfort, and peace,” Cardinal Gregory said in his letter.

In observance of National Child Sexual Abuse and Sexual Assault Prevention Awareness Month, Cardinal Gregory will celebrate a noon Mass on April 21 in the archdiocesan Pastoral Center’s St. Ursula Chapel. The Mass will be livestreamed online at https://livestream.com/washarchdiocese/annualmassforabusepreventionmonth and on Facebook at https://fb.me/e/7mCfnkfrV

“This is such a significant issue for Cardinal Gregory, and my office and team are empowered to do what we do because we have strong support and leadership from the cardinal,” Chase said. “And, we are encouraging families to come together to watch this Mass. We all need to come together to abolish this cancer that threatens all of us.”

Chase said that despite the social distancing and isolation caused by the pandemic, her office continues to offer training and outreach.

“Our office has created a virtual, interactive online training so community members can be educated on the many important aspects of child protection and safe environment,” she said. “We have one-and-a-half-hour sessions online to address how to identify signs of abuse and sexual assault and how to properly support and create a safe environment for everyone.”

For 35 years, the archdiocese has had a written Child Protection Policy. When it was instituted the policy in 1986, it was one of the first dioceses in the United States to do so.

The policy was updated in 1993, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2013 and 2019 to incorporate enhancements in child protection and oversight.

In 2019, the update reflected an expanded scope, and was renamed the archdiocese’s Child Protection and Safe Environment Policy, to emphasize the importance of ensuring safe environments for people of all ages, protecting children from sexual abuse and adults from sexual harassment or abuses of power.

The text of the Child Protection and Safe Environment Policy can be found online at https://adw.org/about-us/resources/child-protection/.

Key points of the policy include:

• mandatory reporting of suspected child abuse and sexual misconduct, regardless of age and immediate removal of someone credibly accused of such abuse. 

• emphasizing transparency and providing pastoral care in abuse cases as well as cases of sexual misconduct.

• requiring all clergy, employees and volunteers who work or volunteer for any archdiocesan institution and/or program to undergo relevant state and federal criminal background checks.

• providing education for children and youth, and also for adult staff members and volunteers designed to help prevent abuse from happening.

• expanding its scope to include safe environments for adults working or volunteering in Church ministries and outreach.

Chase stressed that the Child Protection and Safe Environment Policy not only applies to those working in schools, but to anyone who participates in religious education, CYO activities, parish activities, retreats and any other Church-related activity.

In addition to that policy, the archdiocese has an independent Child Protection Advisory Board comprised of lay experts and a clergy member that advises on and monitors compliance with child protection efforts. The Child Protection Advisory Board “makes sure our policies are properly looked at, reviewed and implemented,” Chase said.

“The Archdiocese of Washington continues to be a strong leader in fighting this plague,” Chase said. “We are doing so with the strong leadership of our cardinal, and the expertise of our advisory board.”

Chase, who has two master’s degrees – one in social work and one in business administration – formerly served as director of counseling at Connelly School of the Holy Child in Potomac, Maryland and previously worked as an investigator for the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services. She said her office is always on call.

“The phone number for the Office of Child Protection & Safe Environment is 301-853-5328,” Chase said. “Call anytime. Our offices are always available to answer questions and hear concerns.”

She added that “anyone who calls and asks for help in making a report of child abuse or sexual assault will get assistance.”

“We will walk them through the reporting process, and we will work with them with civil authorities so they do not have to walk through this trauma alone,” she said. “It is absolutely frightening to go through an abuse situation or an assault situation. When someone comes forward we understand the intensity of that trauma, and we want to work with them through that trauma.”

The Archdiocese of Washington makes resources and information about protecting children available online at  www.adw.org/childprotection. There, parents will find information on the archdiocese’s child protection efforts, safety tips, how to recognize Internet and cyber bullying and other information.

(The following prayer was provided by the Archdiocese of Washington to be prayed during this month:

“God of endless love, ever caring, ever strong, always present, always just: You gave your only Son to save us by the blood of his cross.

“Gentle Jesus, shepherd of peace, join to your own suffering the pain of all who have been hurt in body, mind, and spirit by those who betrayed the trust placed in them.

“Hear the cries of our brothers and sisters who have been gravely harmed, and the cries of those who love them. Soothe their restless hearts with hope, steady their shaken spirits with faith. Grant them justice for their cause, enlightened by your truth.

“Holy Spirit, comforter of hearts, heal your people’s wounds and transform brokenness into wholeness. Grant us the courage and wisdom, humility and grace, to act with justice. Breathe wisdom into our prayers and labors. Grant that all harmed by abuse may find peace in justice. We ask this through Christ, our Lord. Amen.”)