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THIRD ANNUAL CHARTER IMPLEMENTATION REPORT RELEASED

(MANCHESTER, NH) The Office of Child and Youth Protection for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) released the third annual Report on the Implementation of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People . The Report is based on an independent compliance audit conducted by the Gavin Group and has been reviewed by the National Review Board, a lay advisory group of the USCCB. Although not required to do so, Bishop John B. McCormack voluntarily requested a full on-site audit in 205.

The Diocese of Manchester was found in full compliance with the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People , except for Article 12 with respect to sexual abuse awareness training of children and young people in religious education programs and Catholic schools. The audit found that while the Diocese had initiated programs for the training of children and young people, at the time of the audit, the majority of them in religious education programs and Catholic schools had not yet undergone training.

Bishop John B. McCormack said that “these are serious matters and we are dealing with them in a serious way. I welcome audits of the work we have been engaged in to protect children and young people. Audits can provide us a measure of what members and ministers of our local Church have accomplished as well as all that remains to be accomplished. My priority, and that of those who assist me, is to put into place a firm and full process that ensures the safety of every child we serve today and in the future.”

In addition to the programs that it has already offered to children and their parents, the Office for Ministerial Conduct is collaborating with Catholic educational and formation experts to finalize a personal safety curriculum for parish religious education programs and Catholic school curriculum. This curriculum will address personal safety issues in an age appropriate manner for children and young people and will be implemented in the fall 2006. The safe environment curriculum will focus exclusively on personal safety, communications with parents and other adults and reporting to public authorities.

In the fall 2005, the Diocese began implementing two programs for children and their parents: Having a Safe School and Safe and Sound All Around .

• Having a Safe School program was held in all of the diocesan high schools and junior high schools and addressed bullying, harassment, hazing and abuse in an assembly-type program that involved interactive discussion, role plays, and a power point presentation.

• Safe and Sound All Around program has been offered at various locations throughout the Diocese for parents and their children to attend together. The program, the result of a collaborative effort between Plymouth State University, Plymouth, NH and the Diocese of Manchester, involves a children’s theatre performance on personal safety issues, separate workshops for children (by age groups) and parents, and a Parent Guide (available at http://www.catholicchurchnh.org/index.cfm?content_id=20 ), which provides resources and information so that parents can reinforce at home the lessons learned in the program.

The Charter compliance audit included a week-long on-site visit, from November 7, 2005 to November 10, 2005, by two retired FBI agents. In addition to reviewing documentation chosen by them, the field auditors conducted personal interviews to inform their opinion regarding compliance with the Charter . The auditors spoke with Bishop McCormack, the Director of the Office for Healing and Pastoral Care, the Delegate and Associate Delegates for Ministerial Conduct, survivors of clergy sexual abuse, representatives of the New Hampshire Attorney General’s office, parishioners, pastors, and the Diocesan Review Board.

The reports issued by the Gavin Group on November 25, 2005 and January 6, 2006 can be found on the website for the Diocese of Manchester ( www.catholicchurchnh.org ). The Report on the Implementation of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People may be found at www.usccb.org .

2005 CARA SURVEY

SUMMARY OF DIOCESE OF MANCHESTER

January 1, 2005 to December 31, 2005

The following data represent reports deemed to have the semblance of truth involving sexual abuse of minors against priests and deacons of the Diocese of Manchester. Clergy that are members of religious institutes are not reported here, as they are reported by their religious institutes. This data was reported to the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA).

Under diocesan policy in the Diocese of Manchester, all reports of sexual abuse of a minor are reported to the Office for Ministerial Conduct. The Delegate for Ministerial Conduct informs Bishop McCormack and the Office of the New Hampshire Attorney General of every report received, regardless of whether it has the semblance of truth. When Bishop McCormack determines that there is a “semblance of truth” to a report, he immediately provides for the pastoral care of the complainant, initiates a preliminary investigation in accordance with Church law, and places the accused person on precautionary leave pending the conclusion of the preliminary investigation.

The church investigation is conducted by the Delegate for Ministerial Conduct using a professional lay investigator. All investigative material is provided to the Diocesan Review Board with a recommendation from the Delegate and the investigator as to whether or not the report is “probable.” The Diocesan Review Board then advises Bishop McCormack of its findings regarding the probability of the report and makes a recommendation relative to the accused person’s suitability for ministry. Regardless of whether the report is deemed probable, Bishop McCormack forwards to the Holy See all reports of sexual abuse of a minor against priests or deacons that have the semblance of truth, along with his recommendation for its final disposition in accordance with church law.

FINANCIAL EXPENDITURES

Under Bishop McCormack’s leadership, the Diocese has responded to hundreds of requests for financial settlements by survivors of child sexual abuse and has reported annually the total amounts of these settlements. In making any such financial disclosure, the Diocese complies with all requests by complainants that their identities and their individual settlement amounts not be disclosed to the public. Complainants are not asked by the Diocese to observe any disclosure restrictions.

In calendar year 2005, the Diocese entered into settlements with 10 individuals for a total amount of $642,000.00 in settlements. Note that the settlement amount does not correlate with the number of individuals making reports in 2005. Some 2005 settlements were related to reports made prior to 2005, and not all persons making reports request financial support to assist in healing. Financial settlements are paid from the diocesan Insurance Fund. No parish, Catholic school, or other diocesan funds have been used to pay these costs.

In addition to the foregoing payments, in 2005, the Diocese of Manchester paid $61,930.00 to independent mental health providers for services provided to survivors of sexual abuse. The Office for Healing and Pastoral Care coordinates this care and provides referral services as well.

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