Archdiocese of
St. Louis, Missouri
The Archdiocese of St. Louis (“the Archdiocese”), which was founded in 1826, encompasses ten counties in Missouri. It consists of 217 parishes and eight missions, 401 diocesan priests, 246 deacons, two seminaries, two colleges/universities, 153 schools, and a population of 555,000 registered Catholics. The Most Reverend Justin Rigali, who was installed as archbishop on January 25, 1994, leads the Archdiocese. A compliance audit of the Archdiocese was conducted during the period of August 4-8, 2003.

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

Findings

To Promote Healing and Reconciliation
The Archdiocese established an outreach program in 1988 that has been revised and updated in 2002 and 2003. A Commendation was issued for the Archdiocese’s continued and timely dedication to the protection of children and young people. The archbishop, or his representative, has met with victims/survivors of abuse who have reported the abuse since June 2002 and in the past. The victim assistance coordinator is Nancy Brown, a PhD who is well qualified for the position. The diocesan review board was established, consisting of nine people with varied backgrounds, to function as a consultative body to the archbishop. The board includes both members of the clergy and lay people. The procedures for making a complaint of abuse are readily available in printed form. There have been no confidentiality agreements entered into by the Archdiocese since June 2002.

To Guarantee Effective Response to Allegations of Abuse of a Minor
The Archdiocese has established liaison with civil authorities; however, the St. Louis circuit attorney indicated a need for more extensive communication with the Archdiocese. A Recommendation was made that the Archdiocese make efforts to establish a dialogue with civil authorities to evaluate existing cases of sexual abuse involving the Archdiocese. The Archdiocese has in place a procedure to advise victims/survivors of their right to report allegations of abuse by a member of the clergy to civil authorities. The Archdiocese has an established, clear, and well-publicized code of conduct for priests and deacons, and it has formulated a new code, which is currently being reviewed. It was recommended that this code be approved and distributed. The Archdiocese has a communications policy reflecting the archbishop’s pledge to be open and transparent on issues pertaining to the sexual abuse of children and young people.

To Ensure Accountability of Procedures
The Archdiocese 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 Archdiocese has selected and implemented the VIRTUS program—Protecting God’s Children—to train clergy, educators, employees, and volunteers who regularly work with children. The Archdiocese has publicized standards of conduct for priests and deacons, as well as employees, volunteers, and any others who have, or may have, regular contact with children and young people. Background evaluations are conducted for all personnel, independent contractors, and volunteers utilizing state law enforcement and social services. It was recommended that one department within the Archdiocese be responsible to collect and maintain control of all background checks to enhance effectiveness. 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 purposes of residency in another diocese. The archbishop and the major superiors have coordinated their respective roles regarding issues of allegations of sexual abuse made against a clerical member of a religious institute. The Archdiocese has not had the opportunity to cooperate with other churches, religious bodies, or institutions of learning to conduct research in the area of sexual abuse of minors. The Archdiocese has an ongoing, systematic screening and evaluation process to determine the suitability of candidates for ordination and a program for priestly formation.

Compliance with the Provisions of the Charter

At the conclusion of this audit, the Archdiocese of St. Louis was issued three Recommendations and two Commendations.

RECOMMENDATION 1—That the newly developed Model Code of Pastoral Conduct be approved and distributed.

RECOMMENDATION 2—That effective dialogue be established with the St. Louis circuit attorney regarding matters relating to the sexual abuse of minors.

RECOMMENDATION 3—That one department within the Archdiocese be made responsible for collecting and maintaining all background checks.

COMMENDATION 1—For continued and timely dedication to the ongoing improvement of policies for the protection of children and young people.

COMMENDATION 2—For the archbishop and his staff’s initiative in visiting a parish recently affected by allegations of sexual abuse of a minor by a cleric and their instituting of a follow-up workshop to promote the healing process and to further communications.

As of December 1, 2003, all Recommendations had been addressed. The Archdiocese of St. Louis 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