Our Commitment to Safety

The SSPX in America is concerned with the safety of all those who are members and guests of our various organizations and institutions. We are completely committed to protecting the safety of everyone who attends our chapels, schools, camps, outings, or events. Abuse of any kind is never to be tolerated under any circumstance.

Our overall approach is to establish accountability and respect while ensuring the safety of our flock. We must have a robust safety program that is simultaneously rigorous and reasonable; one that neither ignores evidence of problems nor sees or assumes evil where there is none. Always bear our overall goal in mind—true justice—in approaching any situation.

Establish Reasonable Measures

The overall aim of our program is to establish reasonable measures to provide a safe environment in all apostolates and activities within all SSPX entities whether on our premises or not. We recognize that personnel serve in situations where abuse may potentially occur. We also recognize that children and vulnerable adults need to be protected from any such abuse and that those who are working in our entities need to be properly selected and trained to avoid abuse or the appearance of abuse.

Safety and respect for all members of the community are very important to the SSPX. We desire to ensure that our apostolates are safe and holy places for all those whom our apostolates and programs affect. Special care for those members of apostolates and activities who may be more vulnerable is paramount, particularly for our children, some adults, and elderly members.

While these guidelines need to be read and understood by all personnel, we recognize that it is impossible to make recommendations for every possible situation and circumstance. Therefore, we also rely on the discretion and good judgment of our personnel. They must understand the principles and spirit of our policy and avoid compromising situations.

Our Commitment Includes:

• the protection of children and vulnerable adults from harm, as well as
• the protection of personnel from false allegations.

We recognize that some groups are more vulnerable than others. We also confirm that policies and procedures are in place to guarantee that all reasonable care is taken to ensure safety during all SSPX activities, including but not limited to liturgical functions, classes, meetings, conferences, events, camps, small group activities, and individual volunteer work.

In an effort to ensure the safety of vulnerable persons, all SSPX personnel are required to be screened and trained to levels appropriate to their responsibilities.