The Diocese of Sacramento for a third year has been found to be in compliance with all requirements of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, which was adopted by the U.S. bishops in 2002 in response to the clergy sexual abuse crisis.

The audit was done by self-reporting from the diocese in November and December of 2005 and was overseen by the Gavin Group, Inc., a Massachusetts-based company that audits every diocese in the country. Self-reporting is allowed if the diocese was found in compliance the previous year.

The charter is a comprehensive set of procedures for addressing allegations of sexual abuse of minors by Catholic clergy and guidelines for reconciliation, healing, accountability and prevention of future acts of abuse.

The charter also contained mandates for an audit and an annual report in order to form a two-fold process of accountability for the implementation of the charter in each diocese.

The process involves auditors asking a series of questions that ascertain what structures, procedures or processes are in place within the diocese to fulfill the charter. The auditors request materials that demonstrate compliance, such as examples of publicized standards of ministerial conduct and behavior.

“I am very pleased with the audit results as they represent an ongoing and serious effort by pastors, educators and lay ministers in the diocese to protect children,” said Father David Deibel, vicar for canonical affairs, who is responsible for implementing and overseeing the charter in the diocese.

“We are continuing to work hard on providing a safe environment for our young people, as well as outreach and healing for victims of sexual abuse,” he said. “We are always looking for better and more effective ways to implement the charter. All of us — including clergy, religious and lay leaders — have the responsibility to protect children and youth from abuse.”

In the past few years, the diocese has taken several actions to protect children. These include updating policies regarding the sexual abuse of minors, designating a pastoral care coordinator for victims and a toll-free number for abuse reports, and issuing a comprehensive Code of Pastoral Conduct in December 2004 for clergy, pastoral ministers, administrators, staff and volunteers. The code provides a set of standards for conduct and appropriate behavior to guide all church workers in pastoral ministry situations.

In 2005, a DVD covering the Code of Pastoral Conduct, child abuse prevention, safe environment programs, and the diocese’s sexual misconduct policy was distributed to all parishes and schools in the diocese. Several thousand people have been trained by using the DVD presentation, including all priests, deacons, parish and school employees, and volunteers who work in ministry.

The 2005 audit of the diocese was a more focused audit than previous years, according to Nancy Milton, pastoral care and safe environment coordinator for the diocese. The auditor centered on the compliance with articles 12 and 13 of the charter, calling for safe environment programs and background screenings. Nationwide, those were the two areas of common deficiencies in the 2004 audits of 194 U.S. dioceses.

Article 12 of the charter mandated that dioceses establish a safe environment program that will educate and train children, youth, parents, ministers, educators and others about protecting children. Since 2002, the diocese has implemented several safe environment programs for children and adults.

Parents throughout the diocese can attend a parent workshop of the KidWISE program, “Out of Harm’s Way,” in parishes and schools, Milton said. By attending the workshop, parents receive a 60-page parent guide which contains proven and effective methods to keep children safe from sexual abuse.

Children in grades K-8 in Catholic schools and religious education programs in the diocese have received lessons about recognizing sexual abuse through the Smart Kids/Safe Kids curriculum during 2005.

The curriculum uses several Scripture references as a foundation and addresses age appropriate topics such as the sacredness of the body, recognizing sexual abuse, and how to recognize the concept of “grooming” by sexual abusers. The diocese reported in the audit that 24,358 children and young people in the diocese have received the required safe environment training over the past year, Milton said.

“I have been very pleased with the efforts of our schools and parishes with these training programs,” Milton said. “I am grateful for the efforts of pastors, educators and other ministers to help protect children. The response by parishes and schools has been positive and it can only enhance our efforts to create a safe environment for our children.”

All priests, deacons, educators, lay professionals and more than 3,500 volunteers in the diocese have undergone criminal background checks, Milton said. Article 13 of the charter instructed dioceses to evaluate the background of all diocesan employees and parish personnel who have regular contact with children.

The 2005 audit summaries and information from a survey by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. are expected to be released by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in mid-April.

The formalized effort by the church to increase the safety of children is scheduled to continue for several years. In June 2005, the U.S. bishops voted to extend the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People for another five years, which also extended the annual audits and reports.

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