Child sex abuse audit lauds NH
diocese
MANCHESTER — The 10 credible allegations of child sexual abuse by clergy made to the Diocese of Manchester in 2004 are among the 1,092 received by Roman Catholic leaders nationwide against a total 756 priests and deacons, a survey of the nation’s dioceses released yesterday said. Most of the 1,092 alleged abuses occurred between 1965 and 1974, and about half involved clerics previously accused, church leaders said. Most of the alleged offenders either were dead, already removed from ministry or had been laicized when the allegations were received. “The crisis of sexual abuse of minors within the Catholic church is not over,” said Kathleen McChesney, executive director of the bishops’ Office of Child and Youth Protection. “What is over is the denial that this problem exists,” she added. Dioceses and religious institutes spent a total $157.8 million in settlements, therapy for victims and offenders and attorney fees in 2004. Settlements paid out to victims since 1950 now total more than $800 million, McChesney said. The Manchester diocese paid $1,705,000 in financial settlements in 2004, including $45,000 in attorneys’ fees, the survey said. It also spent $48,500 on therapy for survivors. This brings to $22,210,400 the total spent by the Manchester diocese on civil settlements to 243 alleged victims who brought claims to date, the audit said. Most settlements — more than $19 million — were paid between July 1, 2001, and Dec. 31, 2003. Eight of the 10 alleged abused reported to the Manchester diocese in 2004 occurred from 1970 to 1979; two date back to 1954 or earlier, the audit said. The five women and four men who made claims in New Hampshire last year accused eight priests of abusing them, the audit said. Five of the priests are dead; two previously were removed from ministry; one was laicized. A companion audit of U.S. dioceses also found the Manchester diocese to be fully compliant with the child protection policies set down by the nation’s bishops nearly three years ago and commended it for additional initiatives it has taken to reach out to abuse survivors and to involve laity in promoting child safety. Bishop John B. McCormack said the commendations are a “tribute to the many Catholic faithful” who have working to create a safe environment for children in New Hampshire. “Our effort today is far more effective than ever before because it has the potential to be a work of everyone in the church,” he said in a statement. The new national audit found 187 of the total 195 dioceses in full compliance with all articles of the “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People,” adopted by Catholic bishops in Dallas in June, 2002. The Survivors Network for Those Abused by Priests, an advocacy groups that represents thousands of abuse survivors, criticized most of the gains cited in the audit as “irrelevant and ineffective.” It said real reform cannot occur unless bishops no longer handle sex crime “in house” and keep the names of abusive priests secret. The audit is the second done by Gavin Group Inc. of Boston to determine compliance with requirements ranging from child abuse reporting requirements, criminal background checks of clerics and diocesan personnel, outreach to survivors and safety training programs. The Manchester audit was the result of a week-long site visit by a retired FBI agent and senior business executive last August that included interviews with top diocesan officials, survivors of clergy abuse and state Attorney General Kelly A. Ayotte. Auditors found the diocese to be fully compliant after it submitted a “safe environment program” assuring children are trained in personal safety. The program is being developed for the diocese by Plymouth State University and will be offered to parents and children beginning this fall. The diocese received six commendations for additional initiatives it has taken. [No commendations were issued.] They include creating a Safe Environment Council and having Safe Environment Coordinators in all diocesan schools and nearly all parishes, auditors said. [The auditors did not say this.] These not only help ensure child protection policies are more effectively implemented, but also enhance the laity’s commitment to making child safety a “permanent aspect of the Catholic culture in New Hampshire,” they said. [The auditors did not say this.] “They (auditors) recognized the more lay people involved, the more investment that they have in ensuring a safe environment for all people,” said Diane Murphy Quinlan, diocesan chancellor and associate delegate for ministerial conduct. Auditors also commended the diocese for hosting day-long retreats for adult survivors and creating the Bethany survivor support groups. [The diocese commended itself.] It also commended Bishop John B. McCormack for his outreach to survivors of clergy sexual abuse, including those who said they were abused by non-diocesan priests. [The diocese commended itself.] “This effort is part of the ongoing desire of Bishop McCormack to assume pastoral responsibility for any person who may have been harmed as a minor in New Hampshire, notwithstanding that the harm may have occurred years before his installation as bishop,” auditors said. [The auditors did not say this.] The
Associated Press also contributed to this report.
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