Catholic church in Montreal will start getting fingerprints of priests who work with minors

The Catholic Church in Montreal, Canada has announced that it will start fingerprinting priests and church volunteers who work with minors as part of its efforts to protect young parishioners from abuse.

The new scheme to prevent abuse is part of a pilot project launched by the church last fall. About 10 churches are taking part in the project, and all churches in the diocese are expected to implement the scheme by 2020, CBC reported.

The new rules would require priests and volunteers in "high risk" roles to provide digital fingerprints and police background checks. It also prohibits priests, church employees, and volunteers from being alone with children without at least two other adults present.

"In terms of whether or not we were going to [implement the plan], that wasn't even in question. We're going. This has to happen," said Bishop Thomas Dowd, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Montreal, according to International Business Times. "The Catholic Church has to be the safest place for the vulnerable," he added.

Bertrand Montpetit, a pastor at St. Luke's Parish in Dollard-des-Ormeaux, said that the new measures are intended to act as a deterrent.

"If someone would like to do something wrong or abuse anyone, knowing there's all this filtering, they won't ask to become volunteers in our church," he said.

Montpetit said that his church has been unofficially following most of the rules for years. He pointed to the confession process where he meets a child alone, but there are other people in the vicinity who can see both the priest and the child.

The confession remains confidential as the other person cannot hear what is being said, but an extra level of surveillance is required under the new rules. It is not yet known whether the new rules would be applied to churches outside of Canada.

Vice News reported that the Church came up with the new scheme as a response to allegations of rampant sexual abuse of children committed by Catholic priests in Montreal and around the world.

In March, a 55-year-old Montreal priest, identified as Father Brian Boucher, was charged with multiple accounts of sexual assault and touching of three children. The priest was reportedly very involved in church activities, such as assisting youth during confirmations and first communions.

The Archbishop of Montreal has announced plans to crack down on potential abuses within the church in 2016 and has encouraged victims of abuse to come forward.