06:16 PM CST on Friday, March 31, 2006

Click here to watch Craig Cheatham’s report

(KMOV) For the third year in a row, the St. Louis archdiocese has complied with a charter to protect children.

KMOV

The program was prompted by the priest abuse scandal, but many abuse survivors say the archdiocese still fails to meet their basic needs.

Abuse survivor Tim Fischer believes the Catholic Church still fails to treat victims with dignity. Two weeks ago, the St. Louis archdiocese sent what seemed like a heartfelt apology to Fischer and both of his parents, but the three letters were identical form letters mailed on the same day.

Despite complaints, the Catholic Church insists it's doing a much better job of responding to allegations of priest abuse and educating parishioners.

In 2004, only 51% of parish children were educated through an abuse awareness program. Last year, the rate nearly doubled.

In 2004, the church paid nearly $140 million in settlements, fees, counseling and therapy. Last year, the bill tripled to $445 million, a two-year total of more than $580 million.

The St. Louis archdiocese is once again in compliance with new guidelines, but that means little to Tim Fischer who thought he had a personal apology, until he shared it with the rest of his family.

Critics of the report say it doesn't take into account the signals sent by some of the archdiocese's decisions, including posting a $500,000 bond for a priest after he was convicted of molesting a child.

The archdiocese declined to comment for this story.