Connecticut Dioceses In Compliance With Child Protection Plan

HARTFORD (AP) –– All three Roman Catholic dioceses in Connecticut are in compliance with the sweeping changes triggered by a nationwide child abuse scandal, church officials said Tuesday.

The US Conference of Catholic Bishops announced results of an audit under the church’s Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. The church audit found that 90 percent of the 195 US dioceses were fully complying with the plan, which dictates how guilty priests should be punished and requires bishops to take steps to protect children.

To check on the effort to carry out the reforms, the auditors –– mostly former FBI agents or investigators –– traveled the country from June to October in small teams, interviewing bishops, diocesan personnel, victims, abusive priests, prosecutors, and lay people. The audit is part of the church’s plan to prevent abuse.

The audit was meant to help enforce the reforms and will be conducted annually. There is no mechanism to sanction those who do not comply, however. Under church law, each diocese is autonomous and bishops answer to the Vatican, not each other.

The Bridgeport diocese was among the first to be audited when the process began last June. Bridgeport Bishop William Lori, who helped draft the national charter in the summer of 2002, said the results show the church is moving in the right direction.

“The Diocese of Bridgeport remains firm in its resolve to respond swiftly, decisively, and fairly to all allegations, reach out with compassion to victims, and build greater awareness of the problem, which will encourage prevention,’’ Lori said. “We’re leading the way, and inviting everyone, inside and outside the Catholic Church, to join us.’’

Under Bishop Lori, the diocese established an 11-member Sexual Misconduct Review Board, a group of lay professionals and one priest who advise Bishop Lori on the thorough response to allegations of abuse.

The Archdiocese of Hartford revised several procedures, including policies relating to sexual misconduct involving minors and a new code of ministerial behavior.

“The beginning of a new year is a perfect time for everyone to renew their commitment to the safety of children and young people,’’ Hartford Archbishop Henry Mansell said. “Working together as part of the solution is the best way to achieve that essential goal.’’

Victim advocates said bishops had too much control of how the audit was conducted, so it should be viewed skeptically.

The bishops recommended whom the auditors should interview. And according to the report, auditors were unable to view personnel files that would verify whether bishops were complying with the policy’s ban on transferring offenders from one diocese to another.

Kathleen McChesney, a former top FBI agent and head of the bishops’ watchdog Office of Child and Youth Protection, defended the audit. She said investigators spoke with people outside the church and was confident the reports were accurate.