As anger over Catholic clergy sexual abuse intensifies, U.S. dioceses' average financial transparency score rises only marginally

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Nov 01, 2018, 16:35 ET

BOSTON, Nov. 1, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Anger over clergy sexual abuse has risen dramatically with new revelations in recent months, and Voice of the Faithful's second annual study of U.S. Catholic dioceses' online financial transparency, released in October, shows the average score for those dioceses rising only marginally. Voice of the Faithful has long considered secrecy surrounding Catholic Church finances to be linked to secrecy surrounding clerical sexual abuse.

The average overall score achieved by all 177 dioceses comprising the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in Voice of the Faithful's "Measuring and Ranking Diocesan Online Financial Transparency: 2018" was 39.7 out of 60, or 66 percent, which represents a 5 percent increase over the 2017 average score. Thirty-nine percent of dioceses still have not posted audited financial statements on their websites, and 25 percent do not post a financial report of any kind.

Much of the recent anger over clergy abuse is invested in the secrecy surrounding the abuse. "Carrying out a widespread coverup of criminal acts without access to large amounts of untraceable money is impossible," said Margaret Roylance, Ph.D., a VOTF trustee and Finance Working Group chair.

"In the wake of ongoing revelations about clerical sexual abuse," she continued, "every Catholic who loves the Church is justly angry and asking serious questions about our Church leadership. This report is one tool in the hands of faithful Catholics who want to know what each of us can do. Genuine financial transparency will be essential in rebuilding U.S. Catholics' trust in their bishops."

Roylance continued to point out that:

If your diocese does not post its audited financial statement or, worse, not even an unaudited financial report, your diocesan leadership is being less than forthright about its finances.
If your diocese does not mandate safe collection procedures, it is failing in its duty to protect the resources you have provided to them.
If the names and backgrounds of your Diocesan Finance Council members cannot be found on your diocesan website, you have no way of knowing if they are "truly expert in financial affairs and civil law, outstanding in integrity," as Canon Law requires.

"We must let our bishops know if their failures of financial transparency prevent us from fulfilling our obligations as good stewards of the gifts God has given us," she said.

Although the transparency scores of 21 dioceses in the 2018 study dropped from 2017, more than 70 had higher scores and some achieved very significant increases. The Archdiocese of Omaha went from a dismal 26 to 56, and the Diocese of Orlando from 26 to a perfect score of 60, which tied with the Diocese of Burlington. However, Burlington received a qualified opinion from outside auditors, whereas Orlando received an unqualified (good) opinion on its audit. The Diocese of Santa Rosa was the only one of the 177 to post highlights of their Finance Council meetings—another significant factor in diocesan financial transparency.

The highest scoring dioceses in VOTF's 2018 study are:

Burlington, Vermont, and Orlando, Florida, tied at 60
Atlanta, Georgia, Baltimore, Maryland, and Sacramento, California, tied at 59
Bismarck, North Dakota, Bridgeport, Connecticut, Buffalo, New York, Des Moines, Iowa, Ft. Wayne-South Bend, Indiana, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Omaha, Nebraska, and San Diego, California, tied at 56

The lowest scoring dioceses in VOTF's 2018 study are:

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Orange, California, and Santa Fe, New Mexico, tied at 19
Salina, Kansas, 18
Brownsville, Texas, Knoxville, Tennessee, Lubbock, Texas, Portland, Oregon, and Tulsa, Oklahoma, 15
Grand Isle, Nebraska, 13
St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, 12

Voice of the Faithful®: Voice of the Faithful® is a worldwide movement of faithful Roman Catholics working to support survivors of clergy sexual abuse, support priests of integrity and increase the laity's role in the governance and guidance of the Church. More information is at www.votf.org.

SOURCE Voice of the Faithful