Theft case exposes accountability issues

August 5, 2019
Frank Dunnigan
Phoenix, Arizona
 
As a former bank auditor and 15-year resident of Santa Rosa, I was appalled to read about the lax cash-handling procedures in that diocese, where dozens of sacks of unaccounted-for money were found unsecured in a priest’s car as well as in a church office and adjacent rectory.
 
Were there no procedures in place to ensure that weekly collection funds were being properly deposited into the correct bank accounts in a timely manner? Were there no verifications that those “second collection” funds were disbursed for intended purposes? Is there not a designated financial officer within that diocese who is responsible for oversight of cash handling and accounting controls in parishes and the chancery office?
 
Most other nonprofits would insist on a full audit – not just in the few parishes where that priest was assigned, but a thorough review of all financial records and procedures throughout the diocese. The fact that the local bishop is so clearly reluctant to call for such an outside examination is a huge red flag to any accounting professional.
 
Just as the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops now demands reporting of sex abuse cases to local law enforcement first, church authorities might wish to follow the same standard and allow civil justice to handle the criminal aspects of this situation – the bishop’s role being limited to internal disciplinary action – rather than go down the old, failed Catholic Church path of “we can take care of this matter internally.”
 

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