{"id":86285,"date":"2024-07-12T15:00:50","date_gmt":"2024-07-12T19:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dosafl.com\/?page_id=86285"},"modified":"2026-03-03T10:46:38","modified_gmt":"2026-03-03T15:46:38","slug":"addressing-the-abuse-crisis","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/dosafl.com\/addressing-the-abuse-crisis\/","title":{"rendered":"Addressing the Abuse Crisis"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bishop Est\u00e9vez Supports Investigation by Florida\u2019s Attorney General<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Bishop Felipe Est\u00e9vez said he is supportive of the investigation and the diocese will cooperate fully throughout the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis has been a very painful period for all Catholics. I hope the outcome of this investigation and other acts of transparency by the dioceses in Florida will bring about greater trust in the Church. Our goals are similar \u2013 to ensure the safety of all children and vulnerable adults and to prevent perpetrators of abuse from serving in active ministry,\u201d said Bishop Est\u00e9vez.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 1989, the diocese initiated a process for reporting and reviewing suspected abuse by clergy and church personnel. An extensive program of education and criminal background checks by the FDLE and the FBI followed to ensure our children and vulnerable adults are safe. Allegations of sexual abuse are addressed promptly and thoroughly, providing pastoral care to victims and their families. We have a zero-tolerance policy to guarantee that allegations are reported to authorities and that anyone found to have committed abuse will be confronted swiftly and justly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI pledge continued efforts to protect those who cannot protect themselves. We must act on behalf of victims of abuse and their families in order to bring them the love, healing, and light of Christ,\u201d Bishop Est\u00e9vez said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We call upon the people of our community to contact local law enforcement if you have been abused or you know of abuse. If you are uncomfortable for any reason with the Church providing help, we can connect you with appropriate community services by calling our Victim Assistance Coordinator at (904) 208-6979.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And while the diocese supports a review of our safe environment program, we are pleased to hear that the Attorney General is not limiting this investigation to the Catholic Church, but&nbsp;allorganizations and institutions who have access, directly or indirectly, to children and vulnerable adults.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Out of respect for the Attorney General\u2019s investigation, the diocese will not comment further on the review of its files until the state has completed its investigation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-16018d1d wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-text-align-center wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/dosafl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Bishop-Supports-Investigation-by-Floridas-Attorney-General.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Download Statement<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-text-align-center wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/dosafl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/El-Obispo-Este\u0301vez-apoya-la-investigacio\u0301n-del-Fiscal-General-de-la-Florida.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Descargar en Espa\u00f1ol<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Bishop Est\u00e9vez Supports Investigation by Florida\u2019s Attorney General Bishop Felipe Est\u00e9vez said he is supportive of the investigation and the diocese will cooperate fully throughout the process. \u201cThis has been [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":45,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-department.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-86285","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"featured_image_urls_v2":{"full":"","thumbnail":"","medium":"","medium_large":"","large":"","1536x1536":"","2048x2048":""},"post_excerpt_stackable_v2":"<p>Bishop Est\u00e9vez Supports Investigation by Florida\u2019s Attorney General Bishop Felipe Est\u00e9vez said he is supportive of the investigation and the diocese will cooperate fully throughout the process. \u201cThis has been a very painful period for all Catholics. I hope the outcome of this investigation and other acts of transparency by the dioceses in Florida will bring about greater trust in the Church. Our goals are similar \u2013 to ensure the safety of all children and vulnerable adults and to prevent perpetrators of abuse from serving in active ministry,\u201d said Bishop Est\u00e9vez. In 1989, the diocese initiated a process for reporting&hellip;<\/p>\n","category_list_v2":"","author_info_v2":{"name":"kkern","url":"https:\/\/dosafl.com\/author\/kkern\/"},"comments_num_v2":"0 comments","yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Addressing the Abuse Crisis - Diocese of St. Augustine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/dosafl.com\/addressing-the-abuse-crisis\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Addressing the Abuse Crisis - Diocese of St. Augustine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Bishop Est\u00e9vez Supports Investigation by Florida\u2019s Attorney General Bishop Felipe Est\u00e9vez said he is supportive of the investigation and the diocese will cooperate fully throughout the process. \u201cThis has been [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/dosafl.com\/addressing-the-abuse-crisis\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Diocese of St. Augustine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-03-03T15:46:38+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dosafl.com\/addressing-the-abuse-crisis\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dosafl.com\/addressing-the-abuse-crisis\/\",\"name\":\"Addressing the Abuse Crisis - 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