Glossary

Annual Audit: dioceses and eparchies submit to a yearly assessment of their implementation of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People.

Bishops' Committee for the Protection of Children and Young People (CPCYP): responsible for advising the USCCB on all matters related to child and youth protection and for overseeing the development of the plans, programs, and budget of the Secretariat for Child and Youth Protection. Membership includes representation from all the Episcopal regions in the country.

CARA: Acronym for the Center of Applied Research in the Apostolate. It is a national, non-profit, university-affiliated organization that conducts social scientific studies about the Catholic Church

Charter: refers to the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People that was approved in Dallas in 2002 and by the Holy See. It a comprehensive set of procedures for addressing allegations of sexual abuse of minors by Catholic clergy as well as guidelines for reconciliation, healing, accountability, and prevention of future acts of abuse.

Civil Authorities: refers to the local law enforcement agency, whether it be the city police department, the sheriff's department, the state police post or an area child protection agency. It is distinguished from religious authority.

Diocesan Review Board: a local board that functions as a confidential consultative body to the bishop/eparch. The board is to offer advice to the bishop/eparch in his assessment of allegations of sexual abuse of minors and in his determination of a cleric's suitability for ministry.

Eparchy: a diocese in the Eastern Catholic churches.

Ephebophile: term used to describe a person who desires to have sexual contact with children between the ages of 14-17, with the victim being at least 5 years younger that the perpetrator.

Holy See: term used in referring to the central government of the Catholic Church.

John Jay College of Criminal Justice: senior college of The City University of New York that emphasizes criminal justice, fire science, and other public service related fields. They have been commissioned to do two studies for the National Review Board.

National Review Board: A board instituted by the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People whose purpose is to collaborate with the USCCB in preventing the sexual abuse of minors in the U.S. by persons in service to the Church.

Norms: particular law for all the dioceses and eparchies of the United States of America.

Minor: a person under the age of eighteen.

Pedophile: term used to describe a person who is at least 20 years old and desires to have sexual contact with children between the ages of 1-13, with the victim being at least 5 years younger than the perpetrator.

Secretariat for Child and Youth Protection: office created by the Charter and assigned three tasks: to assist each diocese and eparchy in implementing "Safe Environment" programs designed to ensure the necessary safety and security for all children as they participate in church and religious activities; to develop an appropriate compliance audit mechanism to assist the Bishops and Eparchies in adhering to the responsibilities set forth in the Charter; to prepare a public, annual report describing the compliance of each diocese and eparchy to the Charter's provisions. "Office" was changed to "Secretariat" in 2008.

Safe Environment: term used to refer to a wide assortment of practices that contribute to preventing child abuse of any kind.

SEC: acronym for Safe Environment Coordinator that is used to identify the individual who coordinates the Safe Environment program, which is required by the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People in each diocese/eparchy.

SNAP: acronym that stands for Survivor Network of those Abused by Priests.

VAC: acronym used for the Victim Assistant Coordinator that each diocese/eparchy is required to have per the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People.

VOTF: An acronym for Voice of the Faithful, a lay organization whose mission is to provide a prayerful voice, attentive to the Spirit, through which the faithful can actively participate in the governance and guidance of the Catholic Church.

Victim/survivor: a person who has abuse of any kind in their background and has or is working to overcome the negative effects of that abuse.