It may have taken a year, but after what is being called a “thorough investigation,” Cardinal Timothy Dolan released an official report on the clergy sex abuse scandal in the New York Archdiocese on Monday.

Dolan said he was eagerly anticipating these results following an independent review of how the archdiocese handles sex abuse allegations.

Retired federal judge and prosecutor Barbara Jones was leading this year-long effort and said she had total access to church files, as well as candid and direct conversations with the cardinal.

Following her review, Jones believes that there are no longer any active priests linked to abuse claims. Jones says that the diocese now follows a strict protocol if someone makes an allegation.

She advocates for better technology to maintain records. Jones also advised the archdiocese to hire someone to oversee abuse complaints.

“They have a code of conduct, in particular, which requires criminal background checks as well as training for anyone in the archdiocese who comes into contact with children,” she said.

Dolan said he hoped this independent review helps with the healing process for the victims and their families.

Dolan said that “on thing that helps immensely is the number of victim survivors and their families who would tell me thanks. We still have a deep wound that we don’t know if it is ever going to heal.”

To date, the archdiocese has paid out almost $70 million from its victims’ fund.

After what he called “the summer of hell” due to the sexual abuse scandals that have plagued the Catholic Church as a whole, Dolan announced in September 2018 that the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York hired a former federal judge to review its procedures and protocols for handling allegations of sexual abuse.