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	Church Audit Results Due Thursday By J.M. Hirsch Associated Press, carried in Boston.com March 30, 2006 http://www.boston.com/news/local/new_hampshire/articles/2006/03/29/church_audit_results_due_thursday/ Concord, N.H. --More than three years after a landmark agreement between the state and New Hampshire's Roman Catholic diocese mandated annual audits of the church's sexual-abuse prevention strategies, the results of the first audit are in. The audits were a key part of a 2002 settlement between the state and the diocese that ended a criminal investigation of whether church officials knew priests were molesting children, but failed to protect them over a period of decades. But the audits have been delayed as state and church officials sparred over their scope and who would pay for them. The attorney general's office was expected to release the audit results Thursday. The state sought a comprehensive audit that evaluated the effectiveness of the diocese's new policies, many of which were implemented following accusations several years ago that church officials nationwide had failed to protect children. But church officials objected, saying the agreement called only for a compliance audit, or a check that the diocese had implemented such policies and trained people in them, not how well those policies work. The state said such an audit would be worthless. In March 2005, a judge sided with the state and said the estimated $445,000 cost must be shared by the state and the diocese. It took until last summer for the audit firm KPMG to begin its review. Though the 2002 agreement initially called for five audits, that since has been reduced to four as a cost-saving measure. The attorney general's office has said KPMG assured the state the reduction would not affect quality. As part of the agreement, prosecutors agreed not to seek criminal indictments against the church. In exchange, the diocese agreed to enact strict new child protection policies, admit its actions had harmed children, and open itself to audits. Meanwhile, the church is doing its own evaluation of its abuse-prevention strategy, saying on its Web site that a review board is examining the diocese's policies and that public comment can be offered until April 15. Last week, a similar audit of the Maine diocese said the church failed to do background checks on all volunteers and employees and to provide sexual-abuse prevention training for minors in the church's care. Maine Bishop Richard Malone since ordered that all background checks be completed by April 18 and that schools and Sunday school programs complete training for minors by June.
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