Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People
Tuesday, January 06, 2004 9:09 AM
Good morning,
I would like to share with you a press release from the Catholic Diocese of Des
Moines regarding the release of the results of an audit on diocesan compliance
with the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. Results
of audits of dioceses nationwide are being released today. The Des Moines
diocese was found to be compliant. Also in the press release are
statistics the diocese reported for a study on the nature and scope of sexual
abuse of children by clergy nationwide. In addition, the press release describes
the impact of the charter in terms of increased victim support, safe environment
training and background checks. The press release is sent below.
Anne Marie Cox
Office of Communications
Diocese of Des Moines
Catholic Diocese of Des Moines complying with Charter;
Continues commitment to protect children
The Office of Child and Youth Protection today released its
audit of the Diocese of Des Moines showing the diocese is complying with the
national Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. The diocesan
response to the Charter has been openness and an increased commitment to assist
victims. "We cannot erase the pain of those who have been victimized in
the past, and to them I have apologized on behalf of the Church. The Charter for
the Protection of Children and Young People, created in response to stories of
abuse, calls for openness. As a result of the charter, we've been able to better
assist victims as they come forward," said Bishop Joseph L. Charron,
C.PP.S.
Audit
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, through the Office of Child and Youth
Protection, has audited dioceses across the country to let the public know
whether the dioceses have been complying with the Charter for the Protection of
Children and Young People since it was first approved in 2002. Auditors said the
Diocese of Des Moines has complied, and it was commended for its openness and
transparency. "A commendation was issued for the excellence and extent
of the policy and procedures put in place by the bishop to ensure a sharing of
information on issues related to sexual abuse of minors," according to an audit
report to be released today.
Two auditors visited the Diocese of Des Moines for several days in October, and
interviewed diocesan staff and some with no connection to the diocese. They
reviewed the diocesan policy, the work of the Allegation Review Committee and
the diocese's commitment to create a safe environment for children. The
auditors, having visited many dioceses, made a recommendation on how the Diocese
of Des Moines might monitor ongoing compliance with its background checks. The
recommendation has been implemented. The Diocese of Des Moines announced
in 2002 the creation of a policy review committee and the creation of the
Allegation Review Committee, including names of the lay experts who volunteered
their time for the committee. This past September, Bishop Charron
announced that he was accepting the recommendations of the Allegation Review
Committee regarding three priests. The Charter requires the Bishop to pursue the
process of removing them from the priesthood (laicization). The committee
reviewed allegations made regarding five living priests in the diocese who faced
allegations of sexual abuse of minors.
Survey
The charter called for all dioceses to participate in a survey by the John Jay
College of Criminal Justice for a study on the nature and scope of abuse in the
Church. The diocese today also is releasing the survey statistics it sent in for
this study. The survey asked for the number of all allegations that were not
totally implausible from the years 1950-2002.
In the 52 years covered by the study, 11 of 335 priests who served in the
Diocese of Des Moines were accused of sexual abuse of minors. All of the
allegations except one stem from reported incidents from the 1980s or before.
The Allegation Review Committee heard testimony regarding five of the priests.
The remaining priests are either deceased or left the diocese decades ago.
The Diocese reported that in the 52-year timeframe covered by the survey, 30
people made allegations. Since 2002, when the Charter was implemented by the
nation's bishops, the diocese has encouraged victims to contact Victim
Assistance Advocate Jo Mulvihill at (515) 286-2031 for counseling, support and
to make a formal complaint.
In addition to reporting the number of priests and people affected by
allegations, the diocese reported $680,500 was given to persons making
allegations of sexual abuse between 1950 and 2002 for settlements and
counseling. Insurance paid $335,250 and the diocese paid $345,250. The diocesan
monies came from reserve funds, principally from the Bishop's Residence Fund,
which includes the proceeds and investment income from the sale of the former
residence on 37th Street sold in 1982. Bishops Dingman, Bullock and Charron have
not used that fund to purchase a new bishop's residence but have lived in an
apartment. No money from endowment funds, individual contributions, parish
collections or the Annual Diocesan Appeal was used.
Impact
The diocese has had a policy addressing sexual abuse of minors by clergy since
1988. Since the Charter was created, a new diocesan policy puts more emphasis on
the needs of victims. In addition, programs are in place to prevent
opportunities for abuse. "Even one incident of a priest abusing a minor is
a tragedy," said Bishop Charron. "Since this issue came to light, we have made
great strides in addressing it. We created a new, victim-centered policy, we now
have a Victim Assistance Advocate, and we are privileged to have experts in the
area of child abuse serving on our Allegation Review Committee. In addition, we
are in the process of training volunteers in every parish in southwest Iowa in
child sexual abuse prevention, and we're doing background checks on all
volunteers and staff who spend substantial time with children in a church
setting."
In the last six months, more than 2,300 teachers, coaches, religious education
instructors, youth ministers and parents in the diocese have been trained in
creating a safe environment for children. Facilitators continue to train
volunteers and employees in southwest Iowa. In addition, background checks
are being done on all employees and volunteers who spend a significant amount of
time with children in a church setting.
