The report on the Archdiocese of Detroit – released along with similar reports on other U.S. dioceses – summarizes the audit of clergy sexual abuse policy and procedures conducted in June, together with recommendations and commendations by the auditors, and how the archdiocese responded to the recommendations as of Dec. 1.

In their initial report, the auditors recommended the archdiocese:

"What's truly significant is that all of the recommendations have been addressed," said Auxiliary Bishop Walter Hurley regarding four areas where the auditors found room for improvement.

The archdiocese acted quickly to address the areas totally under its control, and Cardinal Adam Maida and Bishop Hurley met with the major superiors of men's religious orders serving in the archdiocese in November. There was an exchange of policies (for dealing with sexual abuse allegations), and they gave assurance of adequate notification of any allegations involving their members," said Bishop Hurley, the cardinal's delegate for clergy sex abuse issues.

By December, all of those recommendations had been acted on, he said.

The auditors also had four commendations for the archdiocese, praising it for:

Cardina Maida said "all the systems are in place so that we can assure our people that the churches and the places in which they worship are truly safe for their children."

Michigan Appeals Court Judge Michael Talbot, who chairs the Archdiocesan Review Board that advises Cardinal Maida on sexual abuse cases and policy, called the audit summary a "progress report."

"I hesitate to say I'm gratified, but there is a certain satisfaction that they're saying we're doing a good job," he said. Judge Talbot characterized most of the areas cited for improvement as "process" issues, and said, "We got those straightened out."

Overall, auditors found 52 of America's 195 dioceses fully in compliance at the time of the mid-year audits. The Detroit Archdiocese was among 125 dioceses to receive recommendations for improvements in areas where they were already in basic compliance.

Detroit was not among the 57 dioceses that were found to not be in compliance by auditors, and which received instructions outlining actions needed to achieve compliance. "Instructions were issued when circumstances indicated that a particular article of the charter had not yet been implemented," the report said.

Ninety percent of all dioceses achieved full compliance, having addressed any instructions or recommendations by the December reporting deadline, said William Gavin, the retired FBI investigator whose Boston-based Gavin Group conducted the audits.

Talbot said he believes the Detroit Archdiocese is doing "a good job" with its educational efforts to prevent new incidents of child sexual abuse. "I hope the audit report gives folks a little bit of hope and confidence in what we're doing," he added.

Ned McGrath, archdiocesan communications director, said the full national report will be studied to see what can be learned from other dioceses. "As well as we think we've been doing, we're aware that there's always the possibility that another diocese has a better or different way of implementing the charter that could and should be adapted here," he said.

Cardinal Maida said all dioceses share the same mission – "to make the church an absolutely safe place for children, regardless where we do our work."