St. Joseph’s Cathedral on Franklin Street in Buffalo.

BUFFALO — After a comprehensive and transparent audit of the Diocese of Buffalo, an independent auditor has concluded the diocese is compliant with each of the 29 commitments that memorialize child-protection policies in the Diocese for a second consecutive year.

The diocese agreed to these commitments with the New York Office of the Attorney General as part of the settlement of a lawsuit in October 2022. These commitments confirm that the diocese’s rigorous policies and protocols put in place over the past several years are working to keep all children and vulnerable adults safe.

Bishop Michael Fisher

“The diocese must, and will, continue to work to reconcile with those who have experienced the physical, emotional and spiritual pain of abuse and who feel betrayed by church leadership, and to provide support that may help them heal from the wounds inflicted upon them,” Bishop Michael Fisher wrote in a statement.

These policies are published on the diocese’s website, the diocese’s Policy and Procedures for the Protection of Young People and Vulnerable Adults and have been developed by the diocese since the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops mandated the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People in 2002.

“The diocese continues to take steps to ensure that the mistakes of the past will not be repeated and, since 2002, has adhered to the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People promulgated by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops,” Fisher said.

In accordance with the charter, the diocese removes priests from ministry who have substantiated claims of child sexual abuse, the bishop said. The diocese has also memorialized important components of its child protection policies in the 29 commitments in the Stipulated Final Order (“SFO”) that are the subject of this independent audit.

The Compliance Audit Report, posted on the diocesan website, was drafted by the independent auditor Kinsale Management Consulting. Kathleen McChesney, Ph.D., who led the independent audit team, is a former executive director of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ national Office of Child and Youth Protection, as well as a former high-ranking FBI official and head of FBI offices in Chicago and Portland, Ore.

The independent auditor included in the report a series of tables to detail the diocese’s compliance with the commitments. This detail confirms that the diocese’s child-protection policies have been successful.

The auditor has also once again determined that the Diocese has in place effective internal controls — implemented with appropriate oversight, management and personnel — to ensure compliance with all of the commitments in the SFO, for the entire process from the reporting of a complaint through reporting to authorities, any investigation and determination by an Independent Review Board, and all associated record keeping requirements, Fisher said. The Diocese has also continued to provide all of the information, pertinent documents for each commitment and access to all the personnel necessary to conduct the audit.

“For a second year, the auditor and her independent audit team interviewed the full range of diocesan personnel who are responsible for executing the diocese’s child-protection policies and the Independent Review Board chairperson, and they also made on-site visits to the diocese’s administrative offices and to other locations throughout the diocese,” the bishop said.

The auditor’s discussion of the audit results for each commitment, and the accompanying charts in the audit report, reflect that the diocese personnel charged with executing the diocese’s child protection policies are continuing to do diligent and critical work to ensure that the diocese is complying with all of the commitments.

“I give my heartfelt gratitude for the important work that all of these dedicated people are continuing to do to ensure that the diocese is following through on its comprehensive commitments to protect children,” Fisher added.

While the Compliance Audit Report confirms the diocese’s ongoing commitment to accountability and transparency in addressing allegations of past misconduct, the diocese also continues to look forward to ensuring that the mistakes of the past will not be repeated.

“The auditor’s conclusion that the diocese has, for the second year in this process, remained in compliance with each of the child-protection policies and procedures embodied in the settlement agreement’s 29 commitments is another important step in the diocese’s ongoing efforts to ensure that the mistakes of the past will not be repeated,” noted Fisher. “We will continue to pray for the healing of those who have been harmed and for forgiveness for what they have endured.”

The full compliance audit report by the independent auditor, dated May 27, 2025, is available at buffalodiocese.org.