​​Purpose

​​​​The Church is responsible for the proper administration of temporal goods. As part of the responsible administration of these goods, those who minister and work in the Church must protect with the greatest care the records they produce and receive. Indeed, "in every curia there is to be erected in a safe place a diocesan archive, or record storage area, in which instruments and written documents which pertain to the spiritual and temporal affairs of the diocese are to be safeguarded after being properly filed and diligently secured" (Canon 486.2). The oversight of the archives is the responsibility of the chancellor, whose "principal function" is to "take care that acts of the curia are gathered, arranged, and safeguarded in the archive of the curia" (Canon 482.1).

The Document Retention Policy​ for the Archdi​ocese of Los Angeles defines which archdiocesan records must be retained for ecclesiastical, canonical, legal, or historical purposes, and the retention period for each type of record.

​All staff must note and comply with the Do Not Destroy Policy.​

8-5-21