Buffalo, NY, June 6, 2025 – For a second consecutive year, an independent auditor has concluded — after a comprehensive and transparent audit of the Diocese of Buffalo — that the Diocese is compliant with each of the 29 Commitments which memorialize child-protection policies in the Diocese. 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 that it has put in place over the past several years are working to keep all children and vulnerable adults safe. These policies are published on the Diocese’s website, Diocese’s Policy and Procedures for the Protection of Young People and Vulnerable Adults and have been developed by the Diocese since the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops mandated the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, in 2002.
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, Oregon. 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.
While the Independent Auditor’s 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 Bishop Michael 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 here, and Bishop Fisher’s letter is available here.
