Diocese in compliance with national child safety charter
By Erick Rommel
Head Staff Writer
For the second year, the Diocese of Metuchen has been found in compliance with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. The charter, established in 2002, calls for an annual report to assess bishops’ compliance with the charter. Results of the audit were released Feb. 18 in Washington.
Msgr. William Benwell, vicar general, said the focus of this year’s audit, conducted from Dec. 13-17, was to confirm that the charter’s policies and guidelines are being implemented properly.
He felt the auditors were pleased by diocesan efforts. “They were again positive about the fact that we have a full-time office devoted to child protection,” said Msgr. Benwell. “They were impressed by the credentials of the person we have in the office.”
Lawrence V. Nagle, director of the diocesan Office of Child and Youth Protection, is a former supervisor of the sex crimes and child abuse units in the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office.
According to Nagle the diocese has made great strides in complying with the charter. He reported that over the past year, approximately 11,000 diocesan employees and volunteers have been fingerprinted and undergone criminal background checks. Their names and parishes are listed on the Kidsafe portion of the diocesan website, www.diometuchen.org.
Nagle noted that approximately 10,000 diocesan employees and volunteers underwent Protecting God’s Children training at parishes and children at Catholic schools in the diocese are receiving training through the New Jersey Child Assault Prevention Program.
In addition, Nagle’s office has updated its website to include the listing of the diocese’s policies and procedures, as well as the procedures for reporting abuse and important community links.
The executive summary of the audit singled out Mercy Sister Elizabeth O’Hara, diocesan victim assistance coordinator, and the diocese’s 11-member review board, established in 1991. The board serves as a confidential consultative body to Bishop Paul G. Bootkoski in matters pertaining to the sexual abuse of children by clergy.
In the audit, it was also indicated that the diocese received six allegations of sexual abuse against clergy in 2004 and all were properly handled.
County law enforcement investigated two complaints and found them to lack merit. In another complaint, the alleged abuse occurred in the diocese while the accused priest was visiting from another country; the diocese reported that instance to the priest’s superior in his home country. The Diocese of Trenton is handling the fourth incident, which occurred before the creation of the diocese; the parent and alleged victim have refused to cooperate further with authorities. Another allegation involved an anonymous phone call; the caller refused all offers of assistance and wasn’t heard from again. The sixth allegation is currently under investigation.
Dioceses in compliance with the USCCB charter are not required to undergo an on-site audit in 2005. According to Nagle, Metuchen is one of only 11 dioceses across the country that has requested another on-site review. “This clearly demonstrates the diocese’s commitment to charter compliance and our willingness to be open and transparent in our processes.”
*The attached/referenced article was originally published in The Catholic Spirit, the official newspaper of the Diocese of Metuchen, and is protected under U.S. and international copyright law