Diocese of New Ulm in full compliance with Bishop’s Charter Office of Child and Youth Protection Audit complete

by Rev. Douglas L. Grams

The Report on the Implementation of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People was released by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Office of Child and Youth Protection at a news conference in Washington, DC on January 6, 2004. In the report, the Diocese of New Ulm was found to be in full compliance with the Charter.

At their 2002 meeting in Dallas, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops adopted a landmark document entitled The Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, in response to the crisis of sexual abuse of minors in the Church. This document specifically created the Office of Child and Youth Protection and assigned to it three central tasks:

- to assist each diocese and eparchy (eastern Rite Church) in implementing "Safe Environment" programs designed to ensure necessary safety and security for all children as they participate in church and religious activities;

- to develop an appropriate compliance audit mechanism to assist the bishops and eparchs in adhering to the responsibilities set forth in the Charter;

- and to prepare a public, annual report describing the compliance of each diocese and eparchy to the Charter’s provisions (Article 8 of the Charter).

In accordance with Article 8 of the Charter, the USCCB commissioned an independent compliance audit of every diocese within the country to measure activity that has occurred in the 195 U.S. dioceses and eparchies since the USCCB’s adoption of the Charter in June 2002. The audit was conducted in the New Ulm diocese in September 2003 by two associates (former agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation) of the Gavin Group, Inc. The audit included a review of diocesan policies regarding sexual abuse of minors, safe environment programs, and pastoral outreach

programs and other actions that are directed by the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. www.usccb.org/ocyp/charter.htm

At the conclusion of the audit in the New Ulm diocese, the audit team made three recommendations:

1) That the diocese establish contact with local civil authorities for the purpose of stating that it would comply with the reporting requirements of the Charter and civil law with respect to allegations to sexual abuse of minors. (The diocese has responded by contacting each of the 15 county prosecutors in the diocese apprising them of our policy and procedures and the necessary people to be contacted in the case of reported abuse);

2) That the diocese expedite background checks for volunteers working with minors. (This process is near completion);

3) That the diocese adopt a uniform safe environment program for children in its schools and education programs. (In September and October of 2003, safe environment training was conducted for all pastoral leaders as well as those who work in diocesan parishes, schools and religious education programs. Age appropriate lesson plans are also now in place in each of the schools and parish religious education programs in the diocese.)

At the conclusion of the audit of the Diocese of New Ulm, the audit team had three commendations:

1) The excellent sexual abuse prevention policy having been in place since 1990;

2) The appointment of a victim assistance coordinator and the training of four advocates who assist with the needs of victims;

3) The quality of pastoral outreach to parishes directly affected by sexual abuse of minors.

Background checks will continue on all new clergy, parish or school personnel, and volunteers who work with youth on a consistent basis.

The results of the national audit show that 97% of the 195 dioceses/eparchies participated in the audit and that 90% of them are in compliance with the standards set out by the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People.

Following the Gavin Audit, each of the dioceses in the nation also participated in the John Jay Study, an independent study done by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York. The statistical study is for each of the dioceses regarding the numbers of sexual abuse from the past fifty years to the present. The study looked at the total number of alleged perpetrators, victim survivors, and the amount of finances that have been dedicated to counseling for victims and perpetrators, legal fees and litigation. As reported in the Special Report on Sexual Misconduct published in the November 2003 issue of The Prairie Catholic, the Diocese of New Ulm, since its establishment in 1957, reported 305 priests have served in the diocese and there have been 25 allegations of sexual abuse of minors involving 12 priests. Financial costs associated with clerical abuse is: $63,921 for therapy and counseling to victims; $4,261 for therapy for clerics who abused minors; $61,254 in legal costs; $429,500 in settlements to victims between 1992-1998. Insurers of the diocese have covered $303,000 of those settlements. The remaining $126,500 was paid by the diocese.

The results of the John Jay Study are scheduled to be released the latter part of this month and will indicate the aggregate "total" numbers that have been reported in the 195 dioceses that participated.

Bishop John C. Nienstedt stated in his Pastoral Letter published in the November 2003 Prairie Catholic, "While the clergy sexual misconduct cases are not proportionately numerous, what is not told in statistics is the suffering of those who were victimized. I can never say often enough how sorry I am for even one act of sexual abuse on the part of a priest. Unfortunately we cannot change the past, but we can do everything possible to ensure the future and that is what we are attempting to do with the policies and programs that are being established."

For additional information, policies, and procedures pertaining to sexual misconduct by clergy, please visit the New Ulm diocesan web site at www.dnu.org.