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	N.H. Audit: Church Didn't Ensure Checks By J.M. Hirsch The Associated Press, carried in OregonLive March 30, 2006 http://www.oregonlive.com/newsflash/national/index.ssf?/ base/national-62/114376675712790.xml&storylist=ornational CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Efforts by the state's Roman Catholic diocese to protect minors from sexual abuse have failed to make sure all workers, volunteers and clergy have passed criminal background checks, according to a newly released state audit. While the Diocese of Manchester has made some progress implementing steps to protect children, the background checks issue is something that must be addressed immediately, Attorney General Kelly Ayotte said Thursday. "There's still significant work that remains for the diocese to do and in some respects the level of compliance is disappointing," she said at a news conference. "The fundamental problem appears to be a failure to take responsibility at the top of the diocese." She named no one specifically. "Of course, it starts at the bishop, but it's just not him alone," Ayotte said. The audit was 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. As part of the agreement, prosecutors agreed not to seek criminal indictments against the church. In exchange, the diocese pledged to enact strict new child protection policies, admit its actions had harmed children, and open itself to audits. The state report is separate from a nationwide audit of dioceses conducted under the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops also released Thursday. That audit did not cite the diocese on the background checks issue. The diocese, which covers the state of New Hampshire, has 30 days to submit a plan for correcting the problems. Ayotte said the state won't hesitate to seek court action if it doesn't think the church is complying. The Rev. Edward Arsenault, spokesman for the diocese, said the church remains committed to protecting children and will work with the state. He said the diocese believes it has fully complied with the 2002 agreement, but that work remains to ensure "administrative details" — such as performing background checks — are completed. Arsenault said auditing firm KPMG got some facts wrong — such as the total number of priests in the diocese — and failed to understand the church's management structure and its methods of ensuring compliance with abuse prevention policies. Arsenault said such misunderstandings contributed to the audit's faulty conclusion that the diocese suffers from a lack of leadership. But Senior Assistant Attorney General Will Delker disputed that, saying auditors and his office met with Arsenault prior to the report's release to review the church's concerns, and are confident the report accurately reflects the diocese's policies and practices. The audit found that nearly 5 percent of priests had not been screened. Arsenault said that as of Thursday all priests were checked and that no members of the clergy with credible allegations of abuse remain in the ministry. The church also was faulted for inadequately monitoring a priest who was removed last year after being accused of viewing online pornography. He is being investigated because some of the pornography might have involved children. The state also is investigating whether the diocese violated the 2002 agreement by not reporting the case to the state. Delker said his office only learned of this priest from the auditors.
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