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Cardinal Timothy Dolan tapped retired federal judge and prosecutor, Barbara Jones, last year, allowing her access to church files and unmitigated access to members of the clergy.
Jones said that there are no longer any active priests that are linked to any sexual abuse claims, and the diocese now has stricter protocols in place in case someone makes an allegation.
“I have found that the Archdiocese has complied with the Charter in all material respects,” she said. “It has faithfully followed its policies and procedures and responded appropriately to abuse complaints, and is committed to supporting victims-survivors of abuse.”
The Archdiocese has paid out more than $60 million from its victims fund following nearly 300 reports of abuse in New York.
Dolan said that “on thing that helps immensely is the number of victim-survivors and their families who would tell me thanks. We still have a deep wound that we don’t know if it is ever going to heal.”
Jones recommended that the archdiocese upgrade its technology to better track priests’ backgrounds and monitor their training before they are placed in the ministry. The training was previously required just once, but will now become a mandatory annual mandate.
"Overall, I have found that the Archdiocese has complied with the Charter in all material respects. It has faithfully followed its policies and procedures and responded appropriately to abuse complaints, and is committed to supporting victims-survivors of abuse," Jones wrote in her findings, which were released Monday, Sept. 30.
Jones noted that “the Archdiocese follows strict protocols any time that it receives an allegation that a cleric has sexually abused a minor.”
“As you will see, Judge Jones states that, ‘the Archdiocese has complied with the Charter in all material respects. It has faithfully followed its policies and procedures and responded appropriately to abuse complaints, and is committed to supporting victim-survivors of abuse,’” Dolan said. “And that she has ‘confirmed that no Archdiocesan priest or deacon against whom there is a substantiated complaint of abuse of a minor is in ministry today.’”
The release of the report comes days after Dolan named Michael Deegan as Superintent of Catholic Schools in the Archdiocese of New York.
“As Catholic school systems across the country rise to face the challenges of our modern cultural and educational landscape, we are blessed to have Mr. Deegan guiding the archdiocese's schools,” Dolan said. “He is a person of deep faith, possessing an innovative pedagogical vision and decades of operational management. Our Catholic schools are a treasured jewel of the Church, and I believe they will be in good hands through Mr. Deegan's service.”
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