A little more than a year after the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis announced a new child-protection plan, developed as part of a settlement in a clergy sex abuse lawsuit, the archdiocese has unveiled another landmark plan, the St. Paul (Minnesota) Pioneer Press reported on Saturday. The plan is the result of a settlement agreement between the archdiocese and the county attorney's office, which filed civil charges last year in conjunction with criminal charges against the archdiocese. Some elements of the plan include:
- Broader background checks for clergy and church volunteers.
- Mandatory and ongoing child-protection training.
- Mandatory reporting of suspected child abuse to law enforcement.
- Creation of a fund for victim counseling.
As part of the agreement, the civil case will be put on hold for three years as the archdiocese implements its plan, returning to court with progress reports every six months. At the end of the three-year period, if the archdiocese has held up its end of the deal, the county attorney's office would dismiss its case.
