SOUTH PORTLAND (ME)
WMTW
POSTED: 2:15 pm EST March 21, 2006
UPDATED: 2:37 pm EST March 21, 2006
SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine -- Catholic church officials said Tuesday that the Maine diocese is falling short in requiring background checks of volunteers and employees and providing sexual abuse prevention training for all minors in the church's care.
Bishop Richard Malone announced the findings of an outside audit that assesses compliance with the Catholic church's Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, commonly known as the Dallas Charter.
Malone said the audit, which was conducted in December, found that the diocese has completed background checks on 87 percent of the volunteers and employees in its database. It also found that 33 percent of minors had undergone sexual abuse prevention training at the church's schools and religious education programs.
Posted by kshaw at March 21, 2006 03:37 PM