RICHMOND, Va. -- The Catholic Diocese of Richmond has announced the implementation of an independent, third-party hotline for reporting suspected misconduct within the diocese.
Effective July 1, the EthicsPoint hotline provides a completely confidential platform that allows any employee, parishioner, clergy, volunteer or other interested parties of the diocese to anonymously submit concerns about suspected unethical behavior, misuse of resources or financial misconduct.
EthicsPoint will monitor reports and communicate the information to the diocese who will review reports on a case-by-case basis.
However, the diocese said that the hotline is not intended to receive information about sexual abuse allegations;a historic problem in the Richmond diocese andin the Catholic church.
Abuse allegations should be reported directly to local law enforcement, including Child Protective Services (CPS) at 1-800-552-7096 and by calling the Attorney General’s Clergy Abuse Hotline at 1-833-454-9064. Once reported to the civil authorities, individuals are also encouraged to contact the diocesan Victim Assistance Reporting (VAC) number at 1-877-887-9603 or email vac@richmonddiocese.org to report sexual abuse.
EthicsPoint is used by 13,000 businesses worldwide, including the Archdioceses of Baltimore, New York, Seattle, Washington and Philadelphia.
To find out more about EthicsPoint and to view Bishop Knestout’s video message, frequently asked questions and other resources, visit www.richmonddiocese.org.
