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	Audit: Davenport Diocese Protecting Youth from Sexual Abuse Associated Press, carried in Courier August 16, 2007 http://www.wcfcourier.com/articles/2007/08/16/news/breaking_news/doc46c416e49d3cc493855380.txt Davenport — The Davenport Diocese is complying with national guidelines to protect youth from another era of sexual abuse by its members, according to an independent audit. The audit — released this month by Gavin Group Inc. of Massachusetts — indicates more than 7,800 people who work with youth in the diocese have taken specialized, safe-environment training since the program started in 2003. More than 5,900 adults have had their backgrounds checked by security personnel. "We in the diocese are passionate about this," said Mary Wieser, the diocese's school superintendent. "We never want what happened before to happen again." The audit was conducted to verify compliance with the "Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People," approved by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in the wake of sexual abuse cases involving priests. The Davenport Diocese is among many dioceses trying to recover from a string of sexual abuse allegations over the years. Last fall the diocese filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy as the sexual abuse lawsuits and settlement costs mounted. Bill Gavin, a former FBI agent and police officer who heads audits for dioceses across the nation, said improvements are being made. "On the whole, I think that the bishops are doing a terrific job," Gavin said in a telephone interview. Terry McKienan, founder and co-director of BishopAccountability.org., was skeptical of Gavin's audit, saying it does not address the main problem of priests molesting children. McKienan said the studies do not hold the bishops accountable for their actions, although they do review protection strategies that each diocese has implemented. "That's way better than nothing," he said. Steve Theisen, Iowa director for the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, said the audit is incomplete because it does not include nuns and orders of religious women. Theisen, of Hudson, said he was abused as a child by a nun in the Archdiocese of Dubuque. "It's like a baseball game: They invent the game, they make the rules, choose the players and umpires and outcome. They do nothing to bridge the trust," he said. Iowa's dioceses employ training via a Web site and also requires attendance at an educational session for two to three hours or more. Teachers participate in longer sessions while volunteers, who may see children once a month or less often, have basic instruction with lectures and videotapes. The auditor checked names of those who signed up for training on the Web site and showed up for the required sessions, Wieser said. Dan Ryan, principal at St. Paul the Apostle School in Davenport, said he will conduct five or six sessions this year, in groups of 15-45. "People realize mistakes were made in the past, and we need to do everything we can to make every correction we can," he said. "We all end up bearing some responsibility and cost for what happened." The Gavin Group will continue investigations on other dioceses through the fall. A final report will be made to the bishops' conference by Jan. 1.
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