Speaker Vetting Protocols for Visiting Clergy, Religious and Laity

(En Espanol)

Please Note:

The Office of the Chancellor, in coordination with the Office of Human Resources, holds the discretion to require any safe environment procedures be implemented when determined necessary for the safety and protection of minors and vulnerable adults in compliance with the Archdiocesan Code of Conduct

(https://secure.ethicspoint.com/
domain/media/en/gui/23224/
code.pdf
)

and the USCCB’s Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People.

Contact the Office of Human Resources at hr@archindy.org or 317-236-1594 with any questions or concerns.

Purpose

Catholic speakers who demonstrate fidelity to basic doctrinal norms and moral teachings, and deliver their messages in appropriate ways, encouraging both clarity and unity, play a significant role in the life of our Church, affirming the Faith and presenting opportunities to the Faithful to manifest God’s Kingdom more fully. Parishes, Catholic schools, and Archdiocesan offices and secretariats occasionally invite speakers to enhance events and gatherings. As a general rule, the invitation to any speaker or honoree should be an opportunity to evangelize, catechize, or better form the Faithful. Thus, anything which may cause confusion, scandal or incite disrespect or dissent from the Catholic Church’s faith, morals and/or discipline is to be avoided.

An intentional vetting process provides safeguards that all invite speakers uphold the safe environment standards required by the Archdiocesan Code of Conduct Policy and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. It further helps to ensure that the messages communicated are faithful to the Teachings of the Church and Archdiocesan policies and delivered in a manner that respects the inherent dignity and worth of all human beings. Pastors, Principals, Parish Directors of Religious Education, Administrators or heads of institutions are asked to make prudential judgement after preliminary research concerning the suitability of a speaker before submitting a request for ministry approval.

Requirements for Clergy, Religious, and Lay Speaker Requests

1. Submission of a completed “Archdiocesan Ministry Request Form” to the Office of the Chancellor at least 3 months in advance of the intended event. Consideration will be given to a different timeframe upon request.

• Completed forms should include detailed information about the prospective speaker, type of ministry, topic of presentation, and purpose of the proposed event. Forms should be submitted via email to Beth Ann Roberts, Executive Assistant to the Chancellor; broberts@archindy.org.

2. Speakers who are clergy or members of a religious order must submit a letter of good standing from their diocesan bishop or religious superior dated within six (6) months of the request. The Office of the Chancellor will ensure that all letters of suitability for clergy are internally provided to the Office of Clergy, Religious, and PLCs for record-keeping purposes as required by Archdiocesan policy.

• NOTE: Any presenter or speaker who will have contact with children and/or vulnerable adults MUST provide the date of their diocesan/religious order/organizational Safe Environment Training and date of last background check in the testimonial of suitability. Both should be current within the last five (5) years. Submission of training completion certificates or satisfactory background check notifications is welcomed.

• Speakers who have previously been suitably vetted within six (6) months of an event are exempt from the letter of good standing submission requirement. However, the speaker must still be vetted according to the remaining speaker vetting protocols.

The Approval Process

Upon submission, the Office of the Chancellor will engage in a confidential internal process of vetting the candidate based on the information provided and the use of various resources at its disposal, including engagement of external parties for reference checks. Please allow three weeks for the vetting process to be completed.

Following this period of review, the requestor will receive notice of either speaker approval or a basic explanation of why the speaker was not approved.

Upon approval, the requesting organization will have permission to host the event in Archdiocesan or parish facilities and has the ability, but not a guarantee, to solicit the event in parish bulletin announcements with the approval of the local pastor(s) and in Archdiocesan communication with the approval of the Director of Communication. Please note: For sensitive topics it is advisable to consult with the Director of Communication about wording in promotional materials. When sharing promotional materials with requests to help advertise, it is advisable to state “Please disseminate as-is, with no changes in wording.”

Requests for Clarification or Additional Information

Specific questions regarding this policy should be directed to:

Beth Ann Roberts
Executive Assistant to the Chancellor
317-236-7325 (direct)
broberts@archindy.org

Submission Information

Please submit all speaker vetting requests by mail to:

Office of the Chancellor
Attn: Speaker Vetting
1400 N Meridian St.
Indianapolis, IN 46202

Or via email to:

TO: broberts@archindy.org
Subject: Speaker Vetting


Archdiocesan Ministry Request Form

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