By Bill Zajac
The (Springfield MA) Republican
January 7, 2004

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield is among 90 percent of U.S. dioceses that are in compliance with the church's new policy to protect children from clergy sexual abuse, according to a church audit released yesterday.

The extent of abuse in the Springfield diocese since 1950 won't be released for at least another week in connection with a different study.

The review of the 195 U.S. dioceses found 20 dioceses not in compliance, including the archdiocese of New York. Four dioceses were not audited. The plan, adopted by bishops in 2002, dictates how guilty priests should be punished and requires bishops to protect children.

Skepticism with the report was voiced by Peter Pollard, the coordinator of the Springfield affiliate of Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (SNAP).

"These regulations and intentions are fine, but they were created by the same people who dropped the ball all along," Pollard said.

The prelates commissioned the report from the Gavin Group of Boston, a firm led by former FBI official William F. Gavin, and the investigation was overseen by Kathleen McChesney, a former top FBI agent and head of the bishops' watchdog Office of Child and Youth Protection.

Pollard took exception to auditors citing the Springfield diocese's communications policy "that reflects the bishop's pledge to be open and transparent on issues of sexual abuse of children."

"This is the same bishop who has legally fought to keep diocesan records away from victims and survivors of abuse and who has not informed the public about abusing priests," said Pollard, adding that Springfield was the only diocese in the state to invoke the charitable immunity law to try to have clergy sexual abuse cases dismissed in court.

"Until the church takes responsibility for what has occurred, they can't claim to be handling this with credibility," Pollard said.

Victim advocates said bishops had too much control of how the audit was conducted, so it should be viewed skeptically.

The bishops recommended whom the auditors should interview. According to the report, auditors were unable to view personnel files that would verify whether bishops were complying with the policy's ban on transferring offenders from one diocese to another.

Gavin insisted the audits were comprehensive and accurate. Investigators did not view personnel records because of "sensitivity to laws and privacy violations that may occur." Otherwise, he said, "we had free rein."

Auditors limited their examination to abuse cases reported to the diocese during the 17-month period between June 2002, when the policy was created, and October 2003, when the audit was conducted.

During that time, 30 people made accusations of sexual abuse against clergy or other diocesan personnel. However, only 15 cases were examined by auditors because the other 15 cases involved accusations by people who were 18 or older when the alleged abuse took place, according to diocesan officials.

The Misconduct Commission, the all-lay, nine-person panel that investigates abuse accusations, looks into all accusations of abuse, regardless of age.

The Boston Archdiocese, which was at the epicenter of the scandal, was praised by auditors for an aggressive outreach program, which has included sponsoring a national conference of mental health professionals to deal with issues related to sex abuse by priests.

Meanwhile, the results of a national study that looks at the number of clergy accused of abuse and the number of accusers since 1950 will be released Feb. 27. The study was conducted by John Jay College.

The information provided by the diocese for the John Jay study may be released as soon as next week.

Nationally, the compliance study recommended improved monitoring of guilty priests and a survey of victims asking how bishops should respond when an abuse claim is made.

The auditors made no formal recommendations to the Springfield diocese, but they did make suggestions to improve how the policy works, according to Laura F. Reilly, the diocese's victim advocate.

It has led to several changes, including giving accusers the option of having Reilly speak on their behalf in front of the Misconduct Commission.

"Not everyone feels comfortable speaking in front of nine people," Reilly said.

In the future, the Misconduct Commission will also be using an investigator to seek information regarding accusations. In the past, the panel investigated complaints itself.

Auditors commended the Springfield Diocese for creating the position of clergy monitor, who will offer help and keep track of priests removed from ministry for sexual abuse of minors.

Material from the wire services was used for this report.