Most of the Catholic dioceses in the US are in compliance with the requirements of the "Dallas Charter" established by the American bishops as a response to the sex-abuse crisis, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) reports.However, one diocese-- Lincoln, Nebraska, under Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz-- and four Eastern Catholic eparchies still refuse to submit to the audits suggested by the USCCB as a follow-up to the Dallas Charter.
Michael Merz, the chairman of the National Review Board-- the group empaneled by the USCCB to oversee the implementation of the Dallas Charter-- argues in a letter to the American bishops that this resistance to audits "scandalizes the faithful."
The Catholic people of the US, Merz insists, cannot understand a few bishops' "resistance to a simple measure for the protection of children."
In its 84-page annual report, the US bishops' Office of Child and Youth Protection provides a detailed summary of the findings from the latest audit of American dioceses.
The audit, undertaken by the Gavin Group, finds that all but 5 of the 195 American dioceses and Eastern Catholic eparchies are in substantial compliance with the Dallas Charter.
While generally meeting the demands of the Charter, 12 dioceses (including the archdioceses of Boston, Dallas, and San Francisco) were found not completely in compliance.
In most cases, these archdioceses were judged inadequate in providing "safe environment" programs in all parishes.
Merz, the chairman of the National Review Board, suggested that future reports should include auditing at a parish-by-parish level to ensure better compliance.
The "safe environment" programs include background checks on parish workers and volunteers and educational programs for young people.
These programs have encountered criticism from some Catholics who argue that the background checks are intrusive and the sexually explicit educational programs for young children are themselves a form of sexual abuse.
These objections-- and the objections of the bishops who have declined to participate in the audits-- are not addressed in the annual report.
During the year 2007, the report discloses, there were 691 reports of alleged sexual abuse by American Catholic priests-- most involving incidents many years ago.
That figure is down slightly from the previous year, when there were 714 such reports.
However, American dioceses paid more in financial settlements for sexual abuse in 2007 than in any previous year.
The sum recorded in the annual report-- over $500 million-- does not include the record-breaking $660-million settlement reached by the Los Angeles archdiocese, since most of that sum has not yet actually been paid to the plaintiffs. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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