Diocese of
Knoxville, Tennessee
The Diocese of Knoxville (“the Diocese”) was established September 8, 1988, when the Diocese of Nashville, Tennessee, was divided into two dioceses. The Diocese consists of 36 counties in the eastern third of Tennessee. Forty-four parishes, two missions, two high schools, and eight elementary schools serve a Catholic population of 50,478. There are 45 diocesan priests and 23 permanent deacons. The Most Reverend Joseph E. Kurtz was appointed the bishop of the Diocese in October 1999. A compliance audit was conducted during the period of September 15-18, 2002.

The following describes conditions evident during the week of the audit. Information on corrective actions taken by the Diocese subsequent to the audit will be found in the last paragraph.

Findings

To Promote Healing and Reconciliation
The Diocese has had an established policy and program to respond to allegations of sexual abuse by clergy since 1998. The policy was revised in May 2003 to conform to the Charter. The Diocese was commended for these policies. The bishop is available to meet with any victim and his or her family. Marla Lenihan, a licensed counselor and a counselor to Catholic Charities of East Tennessee, has been the victim assistance coordinator since July 2002. An eight-member permanent review board established in August 2002 is composed of representatives from the fields of medicine, psychology, psychiatry, military service, religion, and law. It was recommended that the procedure for reporting a complaint of abuse, currently located in a lengthy policy, be promulgated in a separate document and be separately highlighted in the print media. No confidentiality agreements have been entered into by the Diocese since June 2002.

To Guarantee Effective Response to Allegations of Abuse of a Minor
The Diocese cooperates with civil authorities in reporting allegations of sexual abuse. Victims/survivors will be advised of their right to report allegations to civil authorities. Standards of ministerial conduct and boundaries for clergy have been adopted and promulgated. The Diocese has a communications policy dedicated to openness and transparency. The one parish affected by allegations of clergy sexual misconduct was provided pastoral care and response.

To Ensure Accountability of Procedures
The diocese has 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
The Diocese has established an agreement for delivery of VIRTUS safe environment training during the fall of 2003 with training of personnel scheduled to begin in 2004. Training for children has not yet begun. A Recommendation was issued that the Diocese expedite the implementation of both training programs, including child-centered training, which is currently in development in collaboration with a private firm. Diocesan policy delineates procedures for background evaluations of personnel who have regular contact with children. Background checks are required of clerics, employees, and volunteers. No priest against whom a credible allegation of sexual abuse has been reported has been transferred from the Diocese either for ministerial or residency purposes. In a matter involving a priest removed from ministry who moved to another diocese, the bishop of Knoxville appropriately apprised the bishop of the new diocese of the presence and circumstances regarding that individual. Screening and evaluation protocols are used to consider the fitness of candidates for ordination. There is an ongoing formation program for priests that uses several venues to addresses relevant issues.

Compliance with the Provisions of the Charter

At the conclusion of this audit, the Diocese of Knoxville was issued two Recommendations and one Commendation.

RECOMMENDATION 1—That the procedure for reporting a complaint be promulgated in a single document and be highlighted in the print media.

RECOMMENDATION 2—That the Diocese expedite the implementation of safe environment training programs, including training for children.

COMMENDATION—For the timely and inclusive diocesan policies regarding sexual misconduct.

As of December 1, 2003, the two Recommendations had been addressed. The Diocese of Knoxville 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.




__________________________________

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