LETTER FROM ARCHBISHOP GEORGE H. NIEDERAUER
Hello, I am Archbishop George Niederauer of the Archdiocese of San Francisco. In June of 2002, I joined with my brother bishops throughout the United States in signing the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, “Promise to Protect, Pledge to Heal”. We confirmed our commitment again in June, 2005. In this Charter, we pledged to do everything we could to ensure that the children and youth in our parish and school communities would be safe.
Our employees and volunteers are the face of the Church. The work these adults do with our children and youth is so important, especially because of the trust placed in them. The Archdiocese of San Francisco has policies and procedures established for maintaining the safety of children in our care. All adults working with children on a regular basis are required to go through background screening as well as complete a comprehensive online training program on how to recognize, report and prevent child abuse (“Shield the Vulnerable”). Our children and youth have had classes, workshops, and guest speakers regarding being “safe” and “smart” in today’s world. We are pleased that they will soon be able to access online safety training. Parents are the first educators for children. “Out of Harm’s Way” has been a workshop presented these last four years in our Archdiocese. Parents are now able to access “Shield the Vulnerable” online. Teens and children will also have the opportunity to go through their own online safety training beginning this school year.
May God bless all of you in your role as parents, educators and concerned adults of our children.
Most Rev. George H. Niederauer