The third annual audit, the result of visits and other interviews conducted by an independent firm from Aug. 13 to Nov. 1 last year, was made public yesterday. .
One more audit remains in the agreement, which unlike past years, the diocese did not challenge. The attorney general's office would have to let the court know whether it wanted to pursue future audits, but if the next one shows the same level of commitment to improve, "we foresee this process coming to an end," said Senior Assistant Attorney General Will Delker.
"I would like to acknowledge and commend the diocese for the significant progress which has been made with the overall compliance program," Ayotte said in a letter to Bishop John McCormack accompanying the audit.
These include the revision of strategic policies, including "Serving Christ, Serving Others - Code of Ministerial Conduct" and the "Screening and Training Protocol," the emphasis on a risk-based approach to the program, and the development and implementation of a new, Web-based safe environmental database that tracks screening and training requirements and verifies a person's eligibility for ministry with minors.
Ayotte also said she was "especially pleased to learn of the positive changes with respect to the tone at the top and oversight of the compliance program," two areas that the last audit identified as needing improvement. The diocesan leadership demonstrated an openness and willingness to cooperate in the audit, and in the next one, she said.
"I am heartened by the letter from Attorney General Kelly Ayotte in which she recognizes our 'shared goal of protecting children from sexual abuse,' " McCormack said in a statement yesterday. "This mutual desire to do what is best for children serves both our state and our church."
Ayotte said the audit, however, still identified "a number of gaps, as well as some opportunities for further enhancements," that need to be adopted for the diocese to have a fully effective compliance program.
