Diocese of
Fresno, California
The Diocese of Fresno (“the Diocese”), which was established on December 15, 1967, encompasses eight counties. It consists of 85 parishes and 40 missions, and five deacons and 97 diocesan priests serve a population of 581,000 registered Catholics. The Most Reverend John T. Steinbock, who was installed as bishop on October 15, 1991, leads the Diocese. A compliance audit of the Diocese was conducted during the period of July 29–August 1, 2003.

The information set forth herein represents conditions as they were found to exist during the week of the audit. Information regarding the recommended corrective actions taken by the Diocese subsequent to the audit will be found in the last paragraph.

Findings

To Promote Healing and Reconciliation
The diocesan outreach program has been established and is contained in two documents that were put into effect in January and April 2002. The bishop has offered to meet with all victims/survivors of abuse in the Diocese who reported allegations after June 2002, and he has done so on many occasions. The vicar general, with an assistant, serves as the victim assistance coordinator. Both are experienced, competent, and well suited for their positions. The diocesan review board has been established and had its initial meeting on October 25, 2002. It consists of four lay people who are highly educated, diverse, and prominent members of the community. The procedures for making a complaint are readily available in a brochure prepared in English and Spanish, which is available in each parish. There have been no confidentiality agreements entered into by the Diocese since June 2002.

To Guarantee Effective Response to Allegations of Abuse of a Minor
The Diocese has established liaisons with civil authorities, ensuring that all matters regarding sexual abuse by the clergy are reported and that cooperation is extended in investigations that may follow. The Diocese has a procedure in place to advise victims/survivors of their right to report an allegation of abuse by a member of the clergy to civil authorities. The assistant to the victim assistance coordinator handles these matters. It was recommended that written procedures be established to set forth in detail the duties, actions, and notifications required to process an allegation of sexual abuse by a member of the clergy. It was also recommended that the Diocese make greater efforts to restore the good name of a priest against whom an unfounded allegation was made. The Diocese has established a clear and well-publicized code of conduct for priests and deacons. The Diocese has a communications policy that reflects the bishop’s commitment to be open and transparent on issues regarding the sexual abuse of children.

To Ensure Accountability of Procedures
The Diocese has not participated in the research study regarding the “nature and scope” of the problem of sexual abuse of minors by Catholic clergy.

To Protect the Faithful in the Future
A safe environment program has been in place for several years in the diocesan school system. Currently, the bishop is reviewing several other programs; however, some appear to be too costly for the Diocese to implement. The review board is also considering integrating some of the Family Life Program into the safe environment effort. The Diocese has publicized standards of conduct for priests and deacons, as well as diocesan employees, volunteers, and others who have regular contact with children and young people. All school personnel, including volunteers, are fingerprinted during the background investigations. All have been fingerprinted. Due to lack of funds, background investigations have been completed only for approximately 25 percent of the parish staff and volunteers. The Diocese uses law enforcement resources for the aforementioned investigations. The Diocese has not transferred any priest or deacon who has had a credible allegation of sexual abuse lodged against him to another ministerial assignment. One retired priest fitting the above definition has moved to another diocese, and that diocese has been properly notified. The bishop or the vicar general regularly speaks with members of the five religious orders in the Diocese, and policies regarding sexual abuse of minors by clergy are discussed. The Diocese has not had an opportunity to cooperate with other faiths or institutions of learning in the conducting of research in the area of sexual abuse of minors. The Diocese has established an effective screening and evaluation program for the selection of candidates for ordination and an ongoing formation program for priests.

Compliance with the Provisions of the Charter

At the conclusion of the audit the Diocese of Fresno was issued two Recommendations.

RECOMMENDATION 1—That written procedures be developed to set forth in detail the duties, actions, and notifications required to process an allegation of sexual abuse by a member of the clergy.

RECOMMENDATION 2—That the Diocese consider taking further steps to publicly restore the reputation of an accused priest who was found to be not guilty of sexual abuse.

As of December 1, 2003, all Recommendations have been addressed. The Diocese of Fresno is found to be compliant with the provisions of the Charter as measured by the process described in Chapter 2 in Section I.


The compliance audit measured activity that has occurred since the adoption of the Charter in June 2002 with the exception of certain mandated actions found in Articles 5 and 14. Actions taken by the diocese/eparchy prior to June 2002 to address allegations of sexual abuse of minors by priests and deacons are not included in this summary report.




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Office of Child and Youth Protection
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
3211 4th Street, N.E., Washington, DC 20017-1194
(202) 541-5413 | FAX: (202) 541-5410
Email: ocyp@usccb.org