BishopAccountability.org
	Good Signs Emerge from Diocese Audit Nashua Telegraph April 4, 2008 http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080404/OPINION01/477183152/-1/opinion What a difference a year makes. That was our initial reaction to the release this week of the state's audit of the Diocese of Manchester, part of an agreement reached six years ago to avoid prosecution for its handling of child sex abuse allegations against priests. One year after criticizing diocesan leaders for a general lack of commitment to the process, Attorney General Kelly Ayotte had mostly positive things to say about this year's annual audit, the third conducted by the international auditing firm KPMG since 2005. "I am greatly encouraged by the progress exhibited by the diocese over the last year and I commend you for improved efforts and achievements," Ayotte wrote in a five-page letter to Bishop John McCormack. "I look forward to the results of the last audit and am hopeful that it too will reflect further progress. I remain optimistic that the Diocese will continue with these efforts to accomplish our shared goal of protecting children from sexual abuse." Specifically, Ayotte commended the diocese for improvements in training of church personnel, an online database to track compliance with screening procedures, and the development of educational materials for parents and children. All of this stems from a 2002 agreement between the attorney general's office and the diocese in the wake of reports across the country that the Catholic Church had covered up sexual misconduct among priests with children for decades. In New Hampshire, the Diocese of Manchester announced in February of that year that 14 priests 10 who had once served parishes in Greater Nashua had been removed from their ministry in response to sexual abuse allegations. Four more priests would be named later that year, and an out-of-court settlement worth more than $6 million was reached between the diocese and two attorneys representing 84 individuals who claimed the Catholic priests had abused them. Nationally, a report commissioned in 2004 by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops found nearly 4,400 accusations against priests between 1950 and 2002, representing about 4 percent of Catholic priests in that period. While Ayotte had mostly good things to say in her letter to the diocese, she did express some disappointment over the failure of the diocese to meet the state's directive on the removal of personnel upon receipt of an allegation. The state's position is that whenever the bishop receives an abuse complaint, that person should immediately be removed from all contact with children until the investigation is completed. Under the diocese's current policy, the bishop can place that person on "precautionary leave," pending the outcome of the investigation, if he determines there is a "semblance of truth" to the allegation. The audit also found some deficiencies in the areas of investigations, disciplinary procedures, safe environment coordinators, record keeping and a survey of parishioners and personnel. Given this is the third of four scheduled audits, we urge the diocese to make the necessary changes to it policies immediately so that the final audit can reflect these improvements in the spring of 2009.
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