Introductory note to the Improper Behaviour documents on the website of our Dominican Province of Canada.
On-line document : St. Dominic’s Province of Canada Policies and Procedures for Suspected Misconduct
At their General Chapter in Rome in September 2010, the Dominicans or Friars Preachers universally expressed their great sadness and dismay at the fact that some of their members had in the past committed reprehensible acts against minors or vulnerable adults.
This went against the Good News of Jesus, to which all Catholics, and needless to say religious, claim to belong.
It went against the whole tradition of “truth” pursued by Dominic and his sons over the last eight hundred years.
It was also a betrayal of those people who had placed their trust in our brothers, often resulting in great trauma and even loss of faith.
The same General Chapter in Rome requested that each Dominican Province have clear and detailed steps and procedures proposing “methods of prevention and pastoral care, and ensuring a rigorous application of the norms of canon and civil law in response to allegations of sexual assault by our friars, so that the rights of the alleged victim and the accused friar are guaranteed and defended.” (no. 142, a)
It is therefore in this spirit of openness and transparency that we are including here on our website a document of “Policies and Procedures of the Province of Saint-Dominique of Canada for Suspected Cases of Improper Behavior” called Protocol with its Appendix “Fostering a Safe Environment for the Protection of Minors and Vulnerable Adults”.
Anyone who is aware of a reprehensible act allegedly caused by one of our members can take advantage of the procedures set out in the Protocol.
They may inform the Provincial Delegate responsible for this file by contacting him at the Dominican Provincialate, 2715 chemin de la Côte-Saint-Catherine, Montreal, Quebec, H3T 1B6; or by telephone at (514) 341-2244 or by e-mail at assistant_provincial@dominicains.ca.
