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  Latest Abuse Audit Finds Diocese in Step with Charter

Pittsburgh Catholic
September 9, 2005

The Diocese of Pittsburgh was "found to be compliant with all the articles of the 'Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People,'" according to an independent audit of diocesan policies and practices conducted in August.

The Gavin Group of Boston conducted a written audit of the diocese — the first time for a complete written report on each aspect of compliance with the charter.

In this year's report, the auditors gave the diocese an "A+," and noted that the communications plan and implementation were particularly well done.

"We are especially pleased by the results of this audit," said Father Lawrence DiNardo, episcopal vicar and director of the Department for Canon and Civil Law Services. "Bishop (Donald) Wuerl has been at the forefront in seeing that our diocese had good policies in place, with updates and revisions as needed.

"We also have taken extensive steps to implement codes of conduct for all personnel, lay as well as clergy, who have any contact with young people, offering workshops at numerous locations throughout the year to ensure everyone has reviewed, understands and has signed their agreement with the policies. And as the auditors noted, we used a variety of communication vehicles to make certain that all personnel, all parishioners and the general public were informed about our programs, policies and activities," he said.

Franciscan Sister Patricia Rogan, director of the Institute for Ministries, was one of the leaders in developing the code of pastoral conduct and establishing the schedule of workshops.

Father DiNardo's de-partment, along with the Secretariat for Ministerial Leadership under the direction of Father James Young, and Father John Rushofsky, director for clergy personnel, are responsible for overseeing the collection and preparation of data for the audit.

The independent audit of each diocese in the United States is required as part of the U.S. bishops' response to the clergy sexual abuse scandal.

Dioceses must show their level of compliance to the "Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People," approved by the bishops in 2002 and 2005.

This is the third audit of the diocese in less than two years. The U.S. bishops approved the second round of on-site audits at their June 2004 meeting, and Pittsburgh was one of the first dioceses to have that second audit.

The diocese's first audit was in October 2003. The audit team reported then that diocesan policies and practices "warrant commendation and reference as 'best practices,'" and the audit of August 2004 noted not only compliance with the charter but that the diocese conducted charter-related activities "which exceed the requirements of the charter."

The auditors pointed in particular to "Clergy Sexual Abuse: In Context," a prime-time television program produced by the diocese that aired March 4, 2004.

The purpose of the TV program, for which the diocese purchased air time, was to outline for the widest possible audience what happened in the clergy sexual abuse scandal, how the church responded and what the situation is now, while reaffirming that the protection of young people is a priority in the diocese.

The national findings of the audit were released to the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and published in January 2005.

In the 2003 audit, nearly 90 percent of U.S. Catholic dioceses were found to be in full compliance with the charter.

Among the requirements the bishops outlined in the charter are that each diocese establish an independent review board to consider suitability for ministry after allegations of sexual abuse among clergy, that a victim outreach coordinator be in place, that background investigations be conducted on church employees and volunteers who work with children, and that the diocese's sex abuse policies be published and disseminated.

The charter also calls on every diocese to promote healing and reconciliation with victims of sexual abuse, guarantee an effective response to allegations of sexual abuse of minors, ensure the accountability of procedures dealing with abuse and protect the faithful in the future.

"The Diocese of Pittsburgh, of course, is in full compliance with the charter," said Father Ron Lengwin, diocesan spokesman.

"Under the leadership of Bishop Donald W. Wuerl, the diocese had many of these policies and procedures in place years before they were required by the charter," Father Lengwin said.

The diocese has had a strong public record of responding to accusations of clergy sexual misconduct and has had published policies in place since 1993. Those policies are regularly revised, with the last revision taking place in August 2003.

Copies of the Policy on Clergy Sexual Misconduct or of the Code of Pastoral Conduct are available from the Department for Communications, Diocese of Pittsburgh, 111 Boulevard of the Allies, Pittsburgh, Pa. 15222. The policy is also on the diocesan Web site at www.diopitt.org.

A toll-free line connected to the office of the assistance coordinator for use by anyone who feels they may be a victim of abuse by a priest or any other church personnel is available. The number is 1-888-808-1235.

 
 

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