Diocese of
Phoenix, Arizona
The Diocese of Phoenix (“the Diocese”), which was established in 1969, encompasses four Arizona counties. It consists of 89 parishes and 32 schools, and 96 diocesan priests and 211 deacons, who serve a population of 530,541 registered Catholics. The Most Reverend Michael J. Sheehan, the archbishop of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, was appointed apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Phoenix in June 2003. A compliance audit of the Diocese was conducted during the period of August 4-8, 2003. Due to the lack of progress observed in implementing the Charter, a second compliance audit was conducted during the period of November 19-20, 2003.

The information set forth below represents conditions as they were found to exist during the initial audit. Information regarding corrective actions taken by the Diocese subsequent to the audit, as well as the findings of the reaudit, will be found in the last section.

Findings

To Promote Healing and Reconciliation
The Diocese has established an outreach program. The archbishop has met with eight victims/survivors and plans to meet with all victims/survivors in the Diocese who desire such meetings, as time allows. The victim assistance coordinator (referred to as “youth protection advocate”) is Jenny O’Connor, a certified social worker who was hired for the position in May 2003. An Instruction was issued for the Diocese to provide O’Connor with necessary institutional support and to ensure that she receives formal victim advocate training. A Recommendation was made for the Diocese to restructure the responsibilities assigned to O’Connor so that she can better focus on her principal responsibility, coordinating immediate pastoral care to victims/survivors of abuse. The diocesan review board was established in 1998 and consists of 12 members, including four priests and eight respected members of the lay community. The procedures for making a complaint of abuse are readily available in printed form. 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
While the Diocese had entered into an agreement in May 2003 with Maricopa County civil authorities regarding the reporting of incidents of sexual abuse, an effective liaison to ensure open dialogue did not exist. A Recommendation was made for the Diocese to take the initiative in developing mutually agreed-upon protocols for reporting future allegations and defining specifics of cooperation with the county in the conduct of its investigations. The Diocese had prepared but not finalized a policy statement including advice to victims/survivors of their right to make a report of sexual abuse to civil authorities. A Recommendation was made for the Diocese to expedite the promulgation of this policy and also to develop administrative devices, such as checklists, to ensure that victims/survivors are advised of their rights to report during their first contact with the youth protection advocate. With regard to the removal of credibly accused priests from ministry, there existed no documentation which showed that these priests were advised they were not to celebrate mass publicly, wear clerical garb, or present themselves as priests. An Instruction was issued for the Diocese to advise, in writing, each of the priests who had been removed from ministry of the admonitions of Article 5 of the Charter and to establish procedures to ensure that such notifications are made and documented in the future. The Diocese had prepared but not finalized a code of conduct for priests and deacons. A Recommendation was made for the Diocese to immediately finalize and promulgate the code. The Diocese had a communications policy, but it did not address a commitment to openness and transparency in the context of matters relating to sexual abuse of minors. Additionally, the diocesan director of communications was not a member of the community response team, which was specifically designed to respond to allegations of sexual abuse. A Recommendation was made for the Diocese to develop and promulgate a communications policy relating to sexual abuse issues and to consider including the director of communications in the community response team.

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 had a safe environment program consisting of a video presentation to diocesan and parish personnel who have regular contact with children. Training modules suitable for presentation to children had been developed but not disseminated. The Diocese had not developed and promulgated comprehensive safe environment policies and procedures. A Recommendation was made for the Diocese to identify all safe environment requirements and to commit the necessary resources to bring the program into full compliance with the Charter. As noted above, standards of conduct for priests and deacons had not been published. Likewise, they had not been published for employees, volunteers, or other church personnel who have regular contact with children. A Recommendation was made for this to be done. While the Diocese had a policy requiring background evaluations for diocesan staff and volunteers who have regular contact with children, such evaluations were not being conducted for volunteers, and there was no centralized tracking system to ensure the evaluations were being conducted for parish employees. An Instruction was issued for the Diocese to establish a system for ensuring that background evaluations are conducted for all diocesan and parish personnel who have regular contact with minors. The Diocese has not transferred any priest or deacon who has had a credible allegation of sexual abuse lodged against him to another diocese for ministerial assignment since June 2002. In the case of one priest who relocated to a diocese in another country for residence, that bishop was notified and information was confidentially provided, concerning allegations of sexual abuse of a child by the priest. The archbishop, or his delegate, 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 cleric member of a religious institute. The Diocese has cooperated with other churches and religious bodies 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.

Compliance with the Provisions of the Charter

At the conclusion of the August 2003 audit, the Diocese of Phoenix was issued three Instructions and six Recommendations.

INSTRUCTION 1—The Diocese will provide the youth protection advocate with the necessary institutional support and supervision to enable her to carry out her duties in an effective manner. Additionally, the Diocese will ensure that the youth protection advocate receives formal, ongoing victim advocate training.

INSTRUCTION 2—The Diocese will advise all priests who have been removed from active ministry as a result of sexual abuse of a minor, in writing, of the admonitions contained in Article 5 of the Charter. Further, the Diocese will establish a practice to ensure that priests removed from active ministry in the future receive these admonishments and are provided with encouragement to retain civil and canonical counsel.

INSTRUCTION 3—The Diocese will establish a system for ensuring that background checks are conducted on all diocesan and parish personnel who have regular contact with children.

RECOMMENDATION 1—That the Diocese consider restructuring the framework within which allegations of sexual abuse of minors are processed. Specifically, attention should be given to reassigning some responsibilities of the youth protection advocate, so that she is able to focus attention on the coordination of immediate pastoral care for victims/survivors.

RECOMMENDATION 2—That the Diocese should take the initiative in working with the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office in the development of mutually agreed-upon protocols for the reporting of allegations of sexual abuse of minors and the establishment of specific actions to be taken to cooperate with the county in the conduct of its investigations.

RECOMMENDATION 3—That the Diocese expedite promulgation of a sexual abuse prevention policy, that includes advising victims/survivors of their right to report allegations of sexual abuse to civil authorities, and that administrative devices should be created to ensure this advice is given to victims/survivors when they contact the Diocese.

RECOMMENDATION 4—That the Diocese expedite completion of a code of conduct for priests and deacons and widely promulgate the code throughout the Diocese.

RECOMMENDATION 5—That the Diocese develop and disseminate a communications policy that reflects a commitment to openness and transparency in dealing with matters relating to sexual abuse of minors.

RECOMMENDATION 6—That the Diocese promptly identify and address all safe environment requirements.

Results of the Re-Audit

The November 19-20, 2003, audit concentrated on those areas in which the Diocese had been found to be deficient, for which the above Instructions and Recommendations were issued. The status of each Instruction and Recommendation as verified by the reaudit is as follows:

INSTRUCTION 1 (Healing and Outreach)—The youth protection advocate now meets with the archbishop and the moderator of the curia on a frequent basis and is receiving constructive support and supervision. A full-time administrative assistant has been hired, and a full-time volunteer has been assigned to assist her in carrying out her responsibilities. She has attended numerous training sessions regarding victim advocacy.

INSTRUCTION 2 (Response and Reporting)—All living priests who have been removed from active ministry have been notified by letter of the admonishments contained in Article 5 of the Charter, and administrative controls have been put in place to ensure that this happens in any future cases.

INSTRUCTION 3 (Background Investigations)—Background evaluations have been conducted on all clergy, employees, and volunteers. The diocesan office of human resources has created a computerized database that provides for monitoring of the process.

RECOMMENDATION 1 (Victim/Survivor Assistance)—The job description of the youth protection advocate has been rewritten to shift many of the position’s former responsibilities to other individuals, thus allowing her to focus her attention on the coordination of immediate pastoral care for victims/survivors. Specifically, she no longer has responsibility for dealing with accused members of clergy, and the diocesan educational division has assumed principal responsibility for administering the safe environment program.

RECOMMENDATION 2 (Reponse and Reporting)—The Diocese collaborated with the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office in the development of a new sexual abuse prevention policy. The policy, which was published in October 2003, contains specific information regarding reporting requirements to which the Diocese will adhere and a pledge to cooperate with any investigation of sexual abuse of minors being pursued by the civil authorities. The county attorney has stated his satisfaction with the new document and expressed his belief that the Diocese has made significant progress in dealing with the issue of sexual abuse of minors.

RECOMMENDATION 3 (Response and Reporting)—The new sexual abuse prevention policy specifically advises of a victim’s right to report sexual abuse to the civil authorities. Additionally, a form has been created to advise a victim of this right, and it will be presented for signature during the victim’s first meeting with a diocesan representative.

RECOMMENDATION 4 (Code of Conduct)—A code of conduct for clergy and other diocesan personnel having contact with children has been created and was widely disseminated in October 2003.

RECOMMENDATION 5 (Communications Policy)—A communications policy reflecting a commitment to openness and transparency in dealing with matters related to sexual abuse of minors has been developed and disseminated. The director of communications has been re-designated the public information officer, has had her responsibilities modified, and has been made a member of the community response team.

RECOMMENDATION 6 (Safe Environment Program)—The Diocese has totally reinvigorated its safe environment program. Since September 2003 a cadre of individuals with education credentials has been trained, and they in turn have been making presentations to diocesan and parish employees and volunteers. Safe environment training has also been mandated for all members of clergy and is in process. Programs suitable for elementary and high school students have been selected and are being presented.

COMMENDATION—For the Diocese’s exceptional response to Instructions and Recommendations issued in consequence of the August 2003 audit. This response involved significant work by Archbishop Michael Sheehan and the diocesan staff and was notably aided by assistance from Sr. Nancy Kazik, victim assistance coordinator for the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, and by key staff members of the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.

As of December 1, 2003, all Instructions and Recommendations had been addressed. The Diocese of Phoenix is found to be compliant with the provisions of the Charter as measured by the process described in Chapter 2 in Section I. One Commendation was issued.


*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