BishopAccountability.org
	Third Report on Sex Abuse Charter Released Pittsburgh Catholic March 31, 2006 http://www.pittsburghcatholic.org/newsarticles_more.phtml?id=1643 Nearly 89 percent (or 169) of the 191 Catholic dioceses or eparchies (dioceses of the Eastern Catholic Church) that were audited during 2005, including the Diocese of Pittsburgh, were found to be in full compliance with the "Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People." This is the conclusion of the third annual "Report on the Implementation of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People," issued by the Office of Child and Youth Protection of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The report is based on an independent compliance audit conducted by the Gavin Group Inc. of Winthrop, Mass., headed by William Gavin, a former FBI official. The Diocese of Pittsburgh was found to be in full compliance when its diocesan policies and practices were audited in August. The auditors gave the diocese an "A+," and noted that the communications plan and its implementation were particularly well done. This was the third audit of the diocese in less than two years. The U.S. bishops approved the second round of on-site audits at their June 2004 meeting, and Pittsburgh was one of the first dioceses to have that second audit. The first audit of the diocese was in October 2003. The audit team reported then that diocesan policies and practices "warrant commendation and reference as 'best practices,'" and the second audit of 2004 noted not only compliance with the charter, but that the diocese conducted charter-related activities "which exceed the requirements of the charter." "We are especially pleased by the results of this audit," said Father Lawrence DiNardo, episcopal vicar for the diocese and director of the Department for Canon and Civil Law Services. "Bishop Wuerl has been at the forefront in seeing that our diocese had solid policies in place, with updates and revisions as needed," Father DiNardo said. In the 2005 report, approximately 12 percent (or 22) of the dioceses/eparchies were found not to be in full compliance with one or more of the articles of the charter. Of the 22 dioceses/eparchies found not to be in full compliance, 21 were found not to be compliant with safe environment training. Four of those were found not to be compliant with background checks as well. One eparchy was found not to be compliant only with background checks. One eparchy was found not to be compliant with outreach and reconciliation, on response and reporting, and on communications as well as with safe environment training and background checks. The independent audit of each diocese in the United States is required as part of the bishops' response to the clergy sexual abuse scandal. Dioceses must show their level of compliance to the charter, approved by the bishops in June 2002, and reaffirmed in 2005. Among the requirements the bishops outlined in the charter are that each diocese establish an independent review board to consider suitability for ministry after allegations of sexual abuse by clergy, that a victim outreach coordinator be in place, that background investigations be conducted on church employees and volunteers who work with children, and that the diocese's sex abuse policies be published and disseminated. The charter also calls on every diocese to promote healing and reconciliation with victims of sexual abuse of minors, guarantee an effective response to allegations of sexual abuse of minors, ensure the accountability of procedures dealing with abuse and protect the faithful in the future. "Under the leadership of Bishop Wuerl, the diocese had many of these policies and procedures in place years before they were required by the charter," said Father Ron Lengwin, diocesan spokesman. The 191 participating dioceses/eparchies constitute 98 percent of the 195 dioceses and eparchies in the United States. The Archdiocese of New Orleans and the Diocese of Beaumont, Texas, were excused from the audit due to the damage suffered from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, respectively. The Diocese of Lincoln, Neb., and the Eparchy of Newton for Melkite Catholics in Newton, Mass., did not participate. The methodology of the 2005 audits differed from the two previous audits for which full on-site audits were conducted for all participating dioceses/eparchies. In 2005, there were also self-reporting audits. Full on-site audits were conducted only with those dioceses/eparchies found not to have been compliant with the provisions of the charter as of Dec. 31, 2004, those not audited in 2004 and those requesting a full audit. As the Diocese of Pittsburgh has been consistently in full compliance with the charter, it participated in a self-reporting audit. The 2005 report contains a description of the methodology of the audit and its limitations, an analysis of the audit findings and recommendations for the future. The Diocese of Pittsburgh has had a strong public record of responding to accusations of clergy sexual misconduct and has had published policies in place since 1993. Those policies are regularly revised, with the last revision taking place in August 2003. Copies of the "Policy on Clergy Sexual Misconduct" or of the "Code of Pastoral Conduct" are available from the Department for Communications, Diocese of Pittsburgh, 111 Boulevard of the Allies, Pittsburgh, Pa. 15222. The policy is also on the diocesan Web site at www.diopitt.org. The entire third "Report on the Implementation of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People" can be found at www.usccb.org.
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