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	Audit Done, Skeptics Breathe a Little Easier By Eric Moskowitz Concord Monitor [New Hampshire] April 3, 2006 http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_action =doc&p_docid=110C2314FAC19488&p_docnum=2 [partial text from Abuse Tracker] Those hoping for reform in the way the state's Roman Catholic diocese identifies and prevents sexual abuse of children hailed this week's release of the first state audit of church practices as a landmark moment. The audit was a key provision -the most important, some said -of the 2002 deal that spared the church from unprecedented criminal prosecution on charges of child endangerment. The Diocese of Manchester admitted to wrongdoing and agreed to overhaul the way it handles abuse allegations and the screening and training of church personnel. The church consented to the audit to give the state supervision over the new practices. But after signing the agreement, church officials tried to block the audit by protesting the cost and arguing that the state oversight would violate the church's constitutional right to religious freedom. A protracted legal battle caused some to doubt the audit would ever be performed in a meaningful way. So the completion of the first review, which revealed significant deficiencies in the church's new programs, restored the faith of the skeptics. It also confirmed their sense that the church would not change without pressure, they said. "I am so incredibly grateful to the attorney general and her office for hanging in there and going after the type of audit that gauged performance" instead of simply reviewing policies, said Carolyn Disco of Merrimack, a founding member of New Hampshire Catholics for Moral Leadership. "The people of New Hampshire owe a great debt of gratitude to the state here."
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