Archdiocese of
Omaha, Nebraska
The Archdiocese of Omaha (“the Archdiocese”), which was established on August 2, 1885, and became an archdiocese on August 10, 1945, encompasses 23 counties. It consists of 138 parishes and 16 missions, 216 diocesan priests, 163 deacons, two colleges/universities, and 74 schools, and it serves a population of 222,938 registered Catholics. The Most Reverend Elden Francis Curtiss, who was installed as bishop on June 25, 1993, leads the Archdiocese. A compliance audit of the Archdiocese was conducted during the period of September 22-26, 2003.

The information found herein represents conditions as they were found to exist during the week of the audit. Information concerning necessary and recommended corrective actions taken by the Archdiocese after the audit will be found in the final paragraph.

Findings

To Promote Healing and Reconciliation
The Archdiocese established an outreach program in 1990; however, the program has not been updated since. An Instruction was issued that the program be updated immediately. The bishop, or his designee, has met or offered to meet with victims/survivors of abuse in the Archdiocese who have reported the abuse since June 2002. No victim assistance coordinator has been appointed, but the archdiocesan review board is refining criteria for the position description and the selection process for a candidate to fill the position. The review board was established in December 2002 and consists of 11 qualified people with diverse educations and vocations. A Recommendation was issued that a case involving a priest who pled guilty to a misdemeanor charge of attempted possession of child pornography be presented to the archdiocesan review board. The procedures for making a complaint of abuse is available in printed form. The Archdiocese has not entered into any confidentiality agreements since June 2002, unless requested by the victim/survivor.

To Guarantee Effective Response to Allegations of Abuse of a Minor
The Archdiocese has reported all allegations of sexual abuse received to local civil authorities and has cooperated in the ensuing investigations. There is a procedure in place to advise victims/survivors of their right to report allegations to civil authorities; however; the policy is not available in written form. The Archdiocese is in the process of creating a code of conduct for priests and deacons and other personnel having regular contact with children, and an Instruction was issued to complete this work. While the Archdiocese openly communicates with the public and the parishes regarding matters of sexual abuse of children, there is no formalized policy to this effect. An Instruction was issued in this regard.

To Ensure Accountability of Procedures
The Archdiocese 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
The Archdiocese has selected and implemented a safe environment program, which was developed by the Boys and Girls Town of America. The archdiocesan Priestly Life and Ministry Committee is working to organize standards of conduct for all priests and deacons, as well as for employees, volunteers, and other church personnel in positions of trust who have regular contact with children and youth. Background evaluations are being conducted for all applicable persons, and the deadline for completion is December 30, 2003. These checks are being accomplished through Choice Point Services, Inc. The Archdiocese has not transferred any priest or deacon who has had a credible allegation of sexual abuse made against him to another ministerial assignment, or for the purposes of residency to another diocese. The archbishop, or his delegate, and the major superiors have coordinated their respective roles regarding issues of allegations of sexual abuse made against a cleric member of a religious institute. The Archdiocese has not had the opportunity to cooperate with other faiths and institutions of learning in the conduct of research in the area of sexual abuse of minors. Screening and evaluation techniques for the selection of candidates for ordination have been established and are being used, as are programs for the ongoing formation of priests.

Compliance with the Provisions of the Charter

At the conclusion of this audit, the Archdiocese of Omaha was issued three Instructions and one Recommendation.

INSTRUCTION 1—The Archdiocese will immediately update the 1990 “Policy of the Catholic Archdiocese of Omaha Relating to Sexual Misconduct” and make available a printed form for filing a complaint of sexual abuse.

INSTRUCTION 2—The Archdiocese will finalize and disseminate the communications policy regarding transparency and openness.

INSTRUCTION 3—The Archdiocese will promulgate the standards of conduct for clergy and other persons in positions of trust with regard to sexual abuse.

RECOMMENDATION—That the matter concerning a priest who has pled guilty to possessing child pornography be presented to the archdiocesan review board.

As of December, 1, 2003, Instructions 1, 2, and 3 and the Recommendation had not been fully addressed. The Archdiocese is in the process of updating its 1990 policy, preparing a communications policy and standards of conduct, and expects to complete these actions in December 2003. The Archdiocese of Omaha is compliant with the provisions of the Charter with the exceptions of Article 5, 6, and 7.


*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