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	Clergy Abuse May Be Waning By Meredith Heagney Columbus Dispatch April 12, 2011 http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2011/04/12/clergy-abuse-may-be-waning.html?sid=101 [Report on the Implementation of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People] [Number of Priests Accused of Sexually Abusing Children As Reported by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops] The nation's Catholic bishops released figures yesterday that seem to indicate that clergy sex abuse is largely in the past, even as the authors of an audit measuring prevention efforts warned that bishops are drifting from commitments made after the scandal erupted in 2002. In a 12-month period - from July 1, 2009, to June 30, 2010 - 30 children reported abuse at the hands of clergy members, according to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The bishops said that eight of those reports were credible, three were under investigation, seven were determined to be false and 12 were "boundary violations" that fell short of abuse. (That could mean behavior such as a kiss atop the head or a pat on the knee, the bishops said.) Locally, the Catholic Diocese of Columbus did not receive allegations against active priests but did field two credible complaints: one about a priest who is dead, and the other about one who was removed from the priesthood, said Deacon Tom Berg, vice chancellor of the diocese. Overall, U.S. Catholic dioceses reported 653 historical allegations that came to light in the 12-month reporting period that ended June 30. That means that adults told the church for the first time that they had been abused as children; not all those reports are necessarily credible. "The abuse isn't current, but it takes a lot of courage to come forward, and it's just as important to their healing," said Teresa Kettelkamp, executive director of the Secretariat of Child and Youth Protection, part of the bishops' conference. "Their healing is as important to us as if they were still children." The annual report details the findings of local audits that determine whether individual dioceses and eparchies (Eastern Rite dioceses) are in step with 2005 guidelines to prevent clergy sex abuse. The report is a combination of self-reporting and a visit once every three years by the Gavin Group Inc., which prepares the audit on behalf of the bishops. The auditors wrote that, despite the relatively low allegation numbers recently, the high number of warning letters (55 of the 188 dioceses and eparchies that participated received them) "seems to indicate a drift away from the practices and procedures of the past." While congratulating the U.S. church on creating a new culture of protection for children, it also warned of lapses, such as downsizing safe-environment offices. Seven dioceses and eparchies refused to participate in the audit. The bishops declared all participating dioceses compliant, despite the 55 warning letters, which they said contained problems that did not rise to the level of noncompliance. Columbus was not one of the warned dioceses, said Berg, who declined to release the local audit, citing privacy concerns of those who are part of the report. The bishops also released a separate report, prepared by a research center at Georgetown University, that shows how costly the scandal continues to be. U.S. dioceses paid $123.7million in costs related to sex-abuse allegations in calendar year 2010. That includes legal settlements, therapy for victims, support for offenders and attorney fees. The Columbus diocese, in the same period, paid $15,000 in settlements to victims and nearly $49,000 for therapy for victims, Berg said. Living expenses and therapy for accused priests totaled $60,665. The diocese spent $53,700 on abuse-prevention training and background checks for employees and volunteers who work with children. The Columbus diocese has laicized, or defrocked, five priests since 2002, when the clergy sex-abuse scandal erupted across the U.S. Yesterday's report is part of an ongoing attempt to show that the church is accountable for preventing abuse, punishing guilty clergy members and helping victims. But some say the lapses in this year's report are cause for concern. Nicholas P. Cafardi, dean emeritus and professor of law at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, said he's not surprised that some bishops relaxed their standards as publicity over the scandal eased. Cafardi, a civil and canon lawyer, was part of the original review board for sex-abuse cases established by the bishops in 2002. "The bishops at the start were not the most-willing participants in this entire process," Cafardi said. It makes sense that as soon as "they thought the need for the process was over, they would start to do away with or modify the process." Contact: mheagney@dispatch.com
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