BishopAccountability.org
	Catholic Church in New Hampshire Confirms Sustainable Child Safety Efforts The Diocese of Manchester [New Hampshire] May 4, 2007 http://catholicchurchnh.org/index.cfm?content_id=518 (MANCHESTER, NH) "The Catholic Church in New Hampshire is a safe place for children and young people today because thousands of priests, educators, employees and volunteers work together to maintain a safe environment for all," said Bishop John B. McCormack. Bishop McCormack commented on the assessment conducted by a Massachusetts accounting firm for the Attorney General and released today. "I also commend Father Edward J. Arsenault, Ms. Diane Murphy Quinlan, Ms. Mary Ellen D'Intino and all the senior staff who work with them for their leadership and motivation. Their vision and determination to fulfill our commitment to the Church's Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People and to keep our commitments in the Agreement with the State of New Hampshire are reflected in what they do every day, and in our diocesan programs and policies." The 42 page KPMG assessment published today is the result of visits and interviews conducted by KPMG from August to November 2006. Rev. Edward J. Arsenault, the bishop's Delegate for Ministerial Conduct, said in a news conference today that "Today's report does not refute the conclusions reached by our own Diocesan Review Board and the auditors retained by the National Review Board and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Namely, the Diocese of Manchester has complied with the letter and spirit of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. Furthermore, the Church has complied with all the articles of the Agreement with the State of New Hampshire, and, most importantly, with the sexual misconduct policy developed under the leadership of our Diocesan Review Board and published by our bishop." "Our accomplishments and compliance are clearly articulated in each evaluation of our work: There is no priest in ministry who has even one credible allegation of sexual abuse of a minor. Every report the Church has received has been reported to the Attorney General, and we have verified that our records and the AG's are in agreement. The Church has trained over 15,000 adults to be sure that they understand how to report abuse, how to follow practices that support a safe environment, and how to maintain a safe environment in our parishes, schools, camps and other institutions. The Church has developed age appropriate course materials and taught 26,000 children on personal safety. Over the last several years, the Church has screened church personnel by conducting over 13,000 criminal records checks on persons who work regularly with minors and over 20,000 sex offender registry checks on all church personnel. Today, there are over 8,000 people who regularly work with minors in ministry, and all of them have been screened and trained." Fr. Arsenault said that protecting children has become part of the fabric of the Church in New Hampshire. "We have a detailed policy that was recently revised after broad consultation within the Church and reviewed by outside experts. We have added a permanent full-time professional compliance expert to our staff. We have former law enforcement officials conducting investigations and assisting us with the background screening of all church personnel. We have a safe environment coordinator in every parish, school, camp and institution to assist pastors, principals, and directors. All these and many other steps add up to a commitment to work every day to protect children and young people." Commenting on some of the critical parts of the report, Fr. Arsenault said "The KPMG Assessment Report does include opinions about how we might do some things differently. The Report cites no instance where we have not complied with our diocesan policy, the Charter, and the Agreement. We will take their observations about our practices under advisement and use them along with the input of child safety and child abuse experts, law enforcement professionals, psychiatrists, social workers, parents, teachers, and concerned laity in our effort to continue to improve on what we have accomplished to date. We remain committed to continual improvement of our diocesan programs, policies and procedures." Fr. Arsenault said the diocese will provide a comprehensive response to the KPMG assessment within the 30 day time frame requested by the Attorney General. He pointed out that the work plan presented to the Office of the Attorney General in 2005 was fully completed within the target dates and that all work was done prior to the site visit by the KPMG auditors in 2006.
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.