Diocese of
Madison, Wisconsin
The Diocese of Madison (“the Diocese”), established in 1946, encompasses 11 counties in south-central Wisconsin. It consists of 135 parishes, 44 elementary schools, and one college and serves a population of 269,556 registered Catholics with 149 diocesan priests and two deacons. The Most Reverend Robert C. Morlino was installed as bishop on August 1, 2003, replacing the Most Reverend William H. Bullock, who was installed in 1993 and retired on August 1, 2003. A compliance audit of the Diocese was conducted during the period of August 11-15, 2003.
The information presented below represents conditions as they were found during the week of the audit. Information regarding necessary 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 a prevention policy on sexual abuse of minors since 1993; it was revised in 2002 and is being revised again. This policy provides for an outreach program designed to provide immediate pastoral care to victims/survivors and their families. The Diocese does have a victim assistance coordinator, Kate Wiskus, who was determined to be well qualified for the position. A lay review board, established in 2002, consists of one priest and five respected members of the community, including two people with backgrounds in counseling, a retired state supreme court justice, and a former detective. The draft of the newest policy requires a preliminary investigation of sexual abuse allegations by the vicar general and a report to the bishop if not substantiated. A Recommendation was written to suggest changing this phrasing to include the participation of the review board in determining the credibility of the complaint. The procedures for making a complaint of abuse are readily available in printed form. The Diocese has entered into no confidentiality agreements since June 2002.
To Guarantee Effective Response to Allegations of Abuse of a Minor
The Diocese has had contact with local civil authorities regarding sexual abuse allegations and has reported allegations to them since June 2002. Their policy provides for the immediate reporting of all allegations to the appropriate authorities. The Diocese has a procedure for advising victims/survivors of their right to report allegations of sexual abuse by a member of the clergy to civil authorities. The Diocese has established a clear and well-publicized code of conduct for priests, deacons, and other church personnel who have regular contact with children, although the code is not formalized. A new policy is being promulgated in the near future, but this policy needs to be modified to conform to the Charter. A Recommendation was written in that regard. The Diocese has a communications policy reflecting the bishop’s pledge to be open and transparent on issues regarding the sexual abuse of children.
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 is in the process of implementing, through VIRTUS, a series of safe environment seminars for presentation to all clergy and all adults having regular contact with children and to the children themselves. As mentioned above, the Diocese is formalizing standards of conduct for priests and deacons, as well as diocesan employees, volunteers, and any other church personnel in positions of trust who have regular contact with children and young people. The Diocese has a program in place to complete background investigations on all members of the clergy and all diocesan and parish personnel who have regular contact with minors, although the process has not been completely put into effect. A Recommendation was written to suggest an evaluation of the program to ensure all necessary checks are being made, to establish a uniform method of conducting the screening, and to establish a central point of control. The Diocese has not transferred any priests or deacons who have had credible allegations of sexual abuse lodged against them to any other diocese for ministerial assignment or residence since June 2002. The bishop and the major superiors of religious orders having a presence in the Diocese have coordinated their respective roles regarding issues of allegations of sexual abuse made against a clerical member of a religious institute. The Diocese has not had an opportunity to cooperate with other churches, religious bodies, and institutions of learning in conducting research in the area of sexual abuse of minors. The Diocese has established screening and evaluative techniques in the selection of candidates for ordination and established formation programs for priests.
Compliance with the Provisions of the Charter
At the conclusion of this audit, the Diocese of Madison was issued three Recommendations.
RECOMMENDATION 1—That the Diocese evaluate its screening process to ensure that all necessary background checks are being performed, establish a uniform method for conducting the screening, and coordinate the program at a central point.
RECOMMENDATION 2—That the Diocese ensure that its new codes of conduct and policy conform to the Charter.
RECOMMENDATION 3—That the Diocese revise its proposed policy to include the participation of the review board in determining the credibility of allegations.
As of December 1, 2003, all Recommendations had been addressed. The Diocese of Madison 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