The Archdiocese of Chicago

Financial Misconduct Hotline

 

1-866-294-5256

 

 

A LETTER FROM CARDINAL GEORGE

 

The Archdiocese of Chicago has a firm commitment to the practice of Stewardship.  One very important element of stewardship is the requirement for us to be accountable to those we serve for how resources are used.  As a church, we understand that we must strive to practice the same high ethical standards that we encourage people to practice in their day-to-day lives.  The practices, policies and structures by which we govern the local church are set up to reinforce our goal of being accountable and ethical in all of our dealings.

 

We strive to be accountable, first, by involving a wide number of people in consultative councils at the parish and Archdiocesan level.  At the parish level this insistence is codified in Archdiocesan policy that every parish have a pastoral council and a finance council.  At the archdiocesan level, the Archbishop’s involvement with the Archdiocesan Pastoral Council, the Presbyteral Council, the Archdiocesan Finance Council and the College of Consultors exemplifies this policy.  Secondly, we publish the financial results for the Archdiocese of Chicago (see the posting on our website www.archchicago.org) and require each parish to give an annual report to their parishioners.  Thirdly, we have an active internal audit program to monitor our compliance with good accounting practices and the Archdiocese’s “Best Practices for Parish Administration”.

 

Lastly, to support the extensive policies and procedures of the archdiocese, we are instituting a hotline to allow employees, volunteers, vendors, parishioners and other interested parties to report concerns they have regarding examples of suspected financial misconduct.  EthicsPoint, an independent third-party company, administers this hotline.  The hotline is designed to provide a simple, risk-free means for reporting concerns about possible financial misconduct.  Reports may be filed on this hotline either via the web or via one of EthicsPoint trained specialist at

1-866-294-5256.

 

Thank you for your interest and commitment to the Church.  My prayer is that we may all grow together as witnesses of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Sincerely yours in Christ,

 

Francis Cardinal George, O.M.I.

Archbishop of Chicago