Activities

The board has been consistent and firm in its commitment to create a safe environment for our children. Towards this end, the board oversees the training of each and every person who works or volunteers in the archdiocese to that all our personnel will serve as a shield for children to keep them safe. In addition, each and every person, paid or volunteer, who works with children is given a thorough criminal background check and if concerns appear, that person will not work or volunteer in this archdiocese.

The board, since its inception, has dealt with a number of allegations of clergy violations of the charter. These allegations have involved inappropriate contact with children or the use or possession of child pornography. One of the challenges facing the board is how to approach cases which, because the alleged event occurred decades ago, are not being accepted for investigation by law enforcement officials or prosecutors.

The board has established a mechanism for impartially investigating those allegations. In each case, the board has sought the truth and acted accordingly in making recommendations to the archbishop on how to handle each case. If the accusation was false, no action was taken and every effort was made to protect
the reputation of the clergy person. The board can safely say that no clergy with
any known and verifiable accusation of sexual misconduct, according the definition of the charter for the protection of children, is functioning as a priest or deacon in the archdiocese of Omaha.

Working with the archbishop, the board has expanded its knowledge regarding the problems posed by pornography on the internet. The board began this process with a presentation by the Nebraska State Patrol regarding this problem, which was attended by the archbishop, and a review of the current literature. It has determined that an essential part of its mission is to help to protect members of the archdiocese, including clergy, adults, children and young people from the safety and moral issues posed by the internet. Towards this end, the board has sponsored a community forum with a nationally recognized expert in this field. The board will continue to assume a leadership role in this area. In addition, the board has recommended policies and procedures to be put in place for monitoring cases where there has been suspected use of the internet for the purpose of obtaining pornography, if such cases arise.