Second abuse audit completed; archdiocese compliant with charter

The Archdiocese of Chicago has received renewed acknowledgement of its efforts to fight clerical sexual abuse in the just-completed second round of audits assigned by the U.S. bishops’ Office for Child and Youth Protection.

The audits, required under the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, were approved by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in June 2002. In the first round of audits, completed in July, 2003, the archdiocese was found to be fully compliant with the charter.

The bishops approved the second round of audits at their spring 2004 meeting in Denver. The auditors from the Boston-based Gavin Group, mostly former FBI investigators, reviewed archdiocesan practices and interviewed officials, including Cardinal George, Oct. 25-28.

In the current audit, the archdiocese was found to be fully compliant with all articles of the charter, including areas of recruitment screening, formation, responding pastorally to abuse victims and reporting to civil authorities. Two areas were cited as requiring further action. Auditors acknowledged the many programs already in place, but required that the archdiocese complete its ongoing safe-environment training and background checks of priests and deacons as well as begin programs which will provide safe-environment training for public school students who receive religious education in parishes.

In both areas, the archdiocese will meet the auditors’ end-of-the-year deadline, said Jan Slattery, director of the archdiocesan Office for the Protection of Children and Youth.

“The audit demonstrates the significant continuing efforts put forth by Cardinal George and the Archdiocese of Chicago to protect children from sexual abuse, not just from clergy but also from others as well,” said Jimmy Lago, chancellor.

The audit reported, among other things, that there had been no allegations of sexual abuse of minors taking place since the last audit. Had there been, the auditors said, policies in place would have assured that archdiocesan officials would have complied “with all applicable laws” and reported it to public authorities.

Auditors cited efforts made by the archdiocese to follow the dictates of the Dallas charter including:

The existing archdiocesan policy on the prevention of sexual abuse of minors by clergy

The archdiocese’s assistance program for victims of clerical sexual misconduct and the review board, established in 1992, to investigate and advise the cardinal on abuse claims.

In addition, the archdiocese informed auditors of several initiatives which surpass the requirements of the Dallas charter. These include:

u Hosting a national annual Assistance Ministry Conference to share information and provide networking. The 2004 conference brought together 116 people from 86 dioceses.

u Facilitating a similar annual conference of vicars for priests.

u An archdiocesan information service in which the public may request, by e-mail or telephone, the status of an archdiocesan priest.

u Creation of a “Parish Intervention Model” which works with local church communities to begin the healing process following an incident of clerical misconduct.

Slattery said that the safe-environment training is continuing, especially for members of independent religious orders. “We have additional training scheduled for men in religious communities,” she said. “Safe-environment training is ongoing in religious order houses of formation and elsewhere. … It just wasn’t completed prior to the October audit.”

In addition, Slattery said, her office is working with deacons in the archdiocese to assure that all have been trained to recognize and understand sexual abuse.

More than 111,000 children are enrolled in parish-based religious education programs in the archdiocese. The U.S. bishops’ charter did not initially specify that public school children in parish religious education programs receive safe-environment training, but as a result of the audit, planning has begun.

“We originally chose a paradigm that trained adults to protect children,” Slattery said, adding that “adults have an overriding responsibility to protect children; we shouldn’t leave that up to children themselves.”

Catholic schools already have a variety of programs in place across the system to accomplish this, she said. Her office will be adding ways to involve parents of public school children in religious education programs to educate their children about what a safe environment is, especially when it comes to preventing child sex-abuse.

By developing a program that will involve children in public schools, the archdiocese will be helping to fill a need in the broader society. Public schools, Slattery said, apparently do not have specific, system-wide programs in place despite widespread sexual abuse in the wider society.

By early November, Slattery said, the archdiocese had provided training to more than 40,000 staff members and volunteers to keep children safe from sexual abuse.

The auditors also required that the archdiocese complete background checks of priests and deacons in active ministry. The report noted that not all had had their background checks completed.

However, Slattery added that by early November, more than 37,500 priests, deacons, archdiocesan employees and volunteers have successfully completed background checks. The remainder, who she said were mostly religious order priests reporting to their superiors rather than the archdiocese, will have the checks completed by Jan. 1.

The process is working, she said. A small number of archdiocesan employees have been dismissed as a result of their checks which turned up problems, though not associated with sexual abuse.

 

To report clerical sexual abuse in the Archdiocese of Chicago, contact the Office of Professional Responsibility, 676 N. St. Clair, Suite 1910, Chicago, IL 60611. Phone, (312) 751-5205 or (800) 994-6200; fax, (312) 751-5279 or visit www.archchicago.org.