INDIANA
Indianapolis Star
Associated Press
February 18, 2005
Each of Indiana's five Roman Catholic dioceses comply with all of the safeguards put in place to protect children in their ministries from sexual abuse, auditors said in a national report released Friday.
Three of the dioceses -- Evansville, Gary and Lafayette -- had reported new allegations of sexual abuse of a minor to public authorities since their previous compliance checks, but the audits gave no details.
Auditors also noted the Evansville Diocese had taken additional steps beyond those required by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops when it adopted its "Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People" in June 2002. The Evansville Diocese was the only one in Indiana cited in such a way by the auditors.
The Evansville Diocese has designed its own Safe Environment Program in which each of its 70 parishes and four Catholic high schools has appointed a youth protection coordinator "to more effectively implement the safe environment program at the local level," the auditors said.
Posted by kshaw at February 18, 2005 06:55 PM