Sex Abuse Training Program Raises Eyebrows

Onscreen, "Karl," a convicted pedophile, had just admitted molesting 500 young girls before being caught.

The video, "A Time to Protect God's Children," is part of a required workshop for all employees and volunteers of the Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn who interact with children. In the aftermath of the priest sexual abuse scandal--in which the Brooklyn Diocese was hit with a $300 million sex abuse lawsuit--the Catholic Church is implementing the sexual abuse prevention training, called Virtus, in Brooklyn and 94 other dioceses across the country.
The Virtus training is part of reforms adopted by Catholic bishops in 2002, which include establishing "safe environment" education programs. While Virtus is the most popular, some dioceses have created their own training sessions or bought other programs elsewhere.

Church leaders say the video and training have been received favorably. But they have also sparked indignation, disgust, even painful disclosures by audience members who were victimized in their youth. Victims groups welcome the training, but also say it is fundamentally a move to protect the Catholic Church from financial liability. Others cast doubts on whether it will have much effect.

Rich Birglir, a parent volunteer at Our Lady of Angels School in Brooklyn, said he was glad to see the training in place. "Prior to coming here I would think, `I hope nothing bad happens,'" he said, "whereas now we can do things to prevent things from happening. Now I'm going to start thinking twice about what my kids are doing."

Leading the training at St. Anselm's was the Rev. James Devlin, one of 35 Virtus facilitators in Brooklyn. With Virtus, which is Latin for "virtue," Devlin said he hopes to rebuild the trust that existed in his community before the scandal.

After playing two videotapes that included testimonials by victims of sexual abuse, convicted pedophiles, experts on sexual abuse, and church leaders, Devlin pointed out ways to be aware of potential predators, both in the church and in the community, and how to look for signs that children are being victimized.

Be watchful for kids who seem depressed or angry, he said, or those who seem particularly detached. "Your job," he told the crowd, "is to be the eyes and ears to make sure at all times children are safe."

Administrators for Virtus estimate tens of thousands of church members have taken the training over the past year, including clergy.