Approving audits was right

By Tony Staley
Compass Editor

U.S. Catholic bishops did the right thing last week when they approved on-site audits of all Roman and Eastern Catholic dioceses by Dec. 31.

This audit will provide the basis for the second annual report on implementing the "Charter for Child and Youth Protection." The Charter requires the Office of Child and Youth Protection (OCYP) to conduct an annual report.

As Abp. Harry Flynn of St. Paul-Minneapolis, chair of the bishops' Ad Hoc Committee on Sexual Abuse, said, the vote is "a clear indication of our commitment to the Charter and to the protection of children and young people, which is the purpose for which we adopted it just over two years ago."

After the vote, Justice Anne Burke, interim chair of the National Review Board, said the board "is pleased with the decision to move forward with the audits and to begin further research into the causes and context of these crimes."

Before the meeting, Green Bay Bp. David Zubik had expressed confidence that the audits would again be conducted because the bishops are committed to rebuilding people's trust.

The second round of audits are needed to rebuild that trust. Their approval was the right move.