Do under 18s have a right to enter a Catholic church unaccompanied?

[Anesti33]

And if the parent does not go with the 12-year-old, who is sexually assaulted in the bathroom stall? Who is kidnapped right out the front door while everyone is watching Father? Who plays with matches and sets fire to the parish library shelves? Yes, parents need to be responsible for their children.

 

[HomeschoolDad]

Believe me, if things were different, I would know about it. I have been through 15 years of Safe Environment training.

Even our parish bulletin makes it crystal clear that parents are not to allow children (that’s anyone under 18) to be unaccompanied in church at any time.

And if the parent does not go with the 12-year-old, who is sexually assaulted in the bathroom stall? Who is kidnapped right out the front door while everyone is watching Father? Who plays with matches and sets fire to the parish library shelves? Yes, parents need to be responsible for their children.

It would be a rare 12-year-old who would be striking matches in the parish library.

But aside from that, again, as I said, “what things have come down to”.

And the really sad part, is that it kind of makes sense.

 

[Anne1964]

We do have a rule in my parish that anyone under 18 must be accompanied by an adult to the restroom but that’s because the bathrooms are in a different building and the neighborhood isn’t that great. As far as I know people under 18 are allowed in the church unaccompanied as long as other people are around.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

I’ve definitely seen some churches around here where kids who look about 15, 16 and 17 are coming and going unaccompanied, at least at Sunday Mass and at confession times when there’s lots of other people in the church and it’s hard to police all the entrants. It’s often not totally clear just how old one of those kids is by looking at them. I think if someone looked younger than about 13 they’d likely be stopped and questioned by someone.

Also if there’s an attached school, the school kids are definitely well monitored by several adults every time they come to church for anything.

 

[Kima]

Here, diocesan Safe Environment regulations prohibit the presence of unsupervised minors. All children must be accompanied by a responsible parent or guardian at all times, even–especially–in the restroom during Mass, etc.

Any unsupervised minor showing up at church without parents would be sent straight home by someone in charge. How they would get home would be an interesting question.

This is awful and so far from the Gospel. What happened to: “Let all children come to me” which Jesus said to the apostles? What happened to reflecting the true love of Christ? (Matt 19:14). He wouldn´t send His children away, and neither should we.

Preventing minors (generally, teens) from going to church without their parents would be a great danger and thus we could easily make them feel unwelcome. I´m a teenager myself, although not a minor, and I´d say that if I were being treated like you present here, I´d honestly find it way easier to spend my time elsewhere.

Every since I converted at the age of 15 (I´m 18), I´ve been going a lot to Mass, adoration and confession on my own. And you know, the seal of confession applies to me too. My parents have no canonical right to even be aware of that I go to confession. And how are minors supposed to be given the necessary secrecy and privacy with regards to confession if they cannot even go to church by themselves.

The reason why I´m Catholic to this day consists in having found the Truth within the Catholic Church and realizing that God is here, in the Church. I would´ve never found God in the Church if I weren´t welcome, and if my longing for God weren´t considered just as important as anyone else.

We should REJOICE and be genuinely HAPPY for every single soul that seeks God voluntarily and with love. And that goes for our kids and teens as well. I´m honestly shocked of how someone could even want to question whether minors are to be welcome at church…! How disturbing and so far from the Gospel!

 

[JS_Cortez]

Here, diocesan Safe Environment regulations prohibit the presence of unsupervised minors. All children must be accompanied by a responsible parent or guardian at all times, even–especially–in the restroom during Mass, etc.

The key word here is “diocesan.” I know my diocese still doesn’t prohibit minors from entering church unaccompanied to this day. I’ve gone through my dioceses’ training for a number of years as well. It seems your diocese has taken the stance that if a minor is never unaccompanied, they won’t be abused, which is the whole point of the Safe Environment protocols. Which, while true, is very extreme.

I think the answer for OP is, “It depends on your diocese.”

 

[Lost_sheep2]

That’s exactly how I feel about the whole matter. If I hadn’t been allowed to go to Church for the past two years because of my age… I like to think I’d have persevered with the Faith but knowing my own weaknesses I probably would have given up. I can’t see Jesus preventing 17, 16, 15 year olds from going to church because of their family situation.

 

[PeterT]

And if the parent does not go with the 12-year-old, who is sexually assaulted in the bathroom stall? Who is kidnapped right out the front door while everyone is watching Father? Who plays with matches and sets fire to the parish library shelves? Yes, parents need to be responsible for their children.

Can you please give a recent example when something like this actually occurred at a Mass?

If something like has occurred during the past 20 years, I sure it would have made the news. (And I’m talking about some recent example, not what had happened in the bad ol’ days of the 20th Century.)

 

[Anesti33]

Anesti33:

And if the parent does not go with the 12-year-old, who is sexually assaulted in the bathroom stall? Who is kidnapped right out the front door while everyone is watching Father? Who plays with matches and sets fire to the parish library shelves? Yes, parents need to be responsible for their children.

Can you please give a recent example when something like this actually occurred at a Mass?

If something like has occurred during the past 20 years, I sure it would have made the news. (And I’m talking about some recent example, not what had happened in the bad ol’ days of the 20th Century.)

Why would I need to give you examples? The mere liability of it, and the optics of the negligence, would be epic.

 

[PeterT]

PeterT:

Anesti33:

And if the parent does not go with the 12-year-old, who is sexually assaulted in the bathroom stall? Who is kidnapped right out the front door while everyone is watching Father? Who plays with matches and sets fire to the parish library shelves? Yes, parents need to be responsible for their children.

Can you please give a recent example when something like this actually occurred at a Mass?

If something like has occurred during the past 20 years, I sure it would have made the news. (And I’m talking about some recent example, not what had happened in the bad ol’ days of the 20th Century.)

Why would I need to give you examples? The mere liability of it, and the optics of the negligence, would be epic.

To show that it’s an actual problem that needs to be rectified.

 

[Anesti33]

It is not for me to second-guess my diocese in its Safe Environment policies. I am just the messenger here, telling you what it’s like. My bishop has been exceedingly prudent and reasonable in the measure he has enacted to prevent child sexual abuse. If you feel that supervising children is not the best idea to prevent some kinds of abuse, then it is not my job to persuade you. I am merely relaying the existence of rules on the subject.