Diocese's antiabuse program rejected

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The Arlington Catholic diocese's efforts to prevent sexual abuse of children in Catholic schools and religious programs backfired Monday night when angry parents filled a Manassas church to demand that a proposed "Good Touch, Bad Touch" program be canceled.

In a four-hour hearing ending at 11 p.m., a majority of the 230 people at All Saints Catholic Church hooted, booed and hurled catcalls at a handful of diocesan employees, who defended the program.

Parents complained that "Good Touch, Bad Touch" was inappropriate for young children, that parents had little or no input in selecting the program and that the true problem was abusive clerics, not children.

"If clerical abuse was the problem to be addressed, I don't understand why children are being made repositories for information that's beyond their ability to comprehend," said Virginia state Rep. Bob Marshall, a Catholic representing Loudon and Prince William counties in the 13th District.

"I realize the big problem the diocese has," said Eleanor Kelly, a Catholic from Front Royal. "The insurance companies won't insure you unless you show there are [preventive] programs."

At one point, the crowd began chanting the rosary to drown out Catherine Nolan, the diocesan director of child protection and safety who said the diocese is under pressure from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) to come up with a plan to satisfy a 2002 Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. The bishops devised the charter as a response to revelations of widespread sexual abuse of young Catholics by their priests during a 50-year span.

On Jan. 6, the Arlington diocese was one of 34 singled out by the USCCB as not being in compliance with provisions of the charter, which mandates that each diocese establish a "safe-environment" program for children. The diocese is considering a secular program used in Arlington public schools, in 10 dioceses and in school systems in 44 states, but must rewrite the materials to square with Catholic doctrine.

But many of the 60 parents who lined up at two microphones said they didn't want kindergartners hearing the words "sexual abuse" in a Catholic school.