CDCF Project Vetting Criteria: General Framework
| Version | v0.1 (draft for community review) |
| Scope | All technology projects submitted for CDCF incubation and graduation |
| Relationship | This is the generalized framework. Specialized domains (e.g., AI) may have additional criteria. |
Table of Contents
- Purpose and Rationale
- Gate 1: Incubation Acceptance
- Criterion 1: Mission Alignment and Canonical Scope
- Criterion 2: Human Accountability Architecture
- Criterion 3: Transparency of Scope and Operation
- Criterion 4: Independent Validation of Claimed Capabilities
- Criterion 5: Impact on Vulnerable Populations
- Criterion 6: Deployment Governance Specification
- Gate 2: Graduation to Active CDCF Project Status
- Grounding in Catholic Teaching and Canonical Tradition
Purpose and Rationale
The Catholic Digital Commons Foundation (CDCF) serves the Church by fostering a shared, canonical standard for technology projects that respect human dignity and the common good. Without shared standards, Catholic institutions risk technical and canonical fragmentation, deploying tools that may not align with our mission or that operate without clear lines of accountability.
This document establishes the general requirements for any project seeking CDCF endorsement. It follows a two-gate structure: Gate 1 for incubation acceptance and Gate 2 for graduation to active project status.
| Gate | Stage | Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Gate 1 | Incubation Acceptance | Criteria 1 through 6 must be satisfied. |
| Gate 2 | Graduation to Active Status | Criteria 7 and 8 must be satisfied, and Gate 1 criteria must remain satisfied. |
Gate 1: Incubation Acceptance
Criterion 1: Mission Alignment and Canonical Scope
The project must serve a purpose coherent with the Church’s evangelizing mission and with Catholic Social Teaching. It must be respectful of human dignity, conducive to human flourishing, and of potential service to the Church at a wide level.
Canonical boundaries. Technology projects must not attempt to simulate sacramental functions or present themselves as having ecclesial authority they do not possess.
Criterion 2: Human Accountability Architecture
Every consequential action or decision informed by the project must be attributable to a named, accountable human being. Accountability must be traceable to specific individuals operating within defined systems of consultation, in accordance with the principles of Catholic governance (cf. Canon 627).
Criterion 3: Transparency of Scope and Operation
The project must provide accurate documentation of its operation, its dependencies, its data usage, and its intended impact. This documentation must be sufficient for independent technical and canonical review.
Criterion 4: Independent Validation of Claimed Capabilities
The submitter must provide evidence that the project’s claimed capabilities have been validated by sources independent of the primary developers (e.g., third-party audits, peer reviews, or documented benchmarking).
Criterion 5: Impact on Vulnerable Populations
The project must demonstrate that its impact has been examined with particular attention to the “preferential option for the poor” and those most vulnerable to technological exclusion or harm.
Criterion 6: Deployment Governance Specification
The submitter must specify the governance conditions under which the project will operate, including decision authority levels, escalation conditions, and appeal processes for those affected by the project’s outputs.
Gate 2: Graduation to Active CDCF Project Status
Criterion 7: Documentation for Independent Deployment and Data Stewardship
The project must provide documentation sufficient for a Catholic institution to evaluate, configure, deploy, and support the project independently. It must also demonstrate rigorous data stewardship, complying with relevant legal and canonical requirements for data protection.
Criterion 8: Governance, Maintenance, and Subsidiarity Compatibility
The project must have a documented process for ongoing maintenance and community governance. It must be architecturally compatible with the principle of subsidiarity, allowing local communities (parishes, dioceses) to retain their proper initiative and responsibility.
Grounding in Catholic Teaching and Canonical Tradition
These criteria are rooted in the Church’s teaching on human dignity, the common good, and the principles of subsidiarity and solidarity. They operationalize these theological and canonical realities into technical and organizational standards for the digital commons.