Last modified: Friday, February 2, 2007 12:54 AM EST Rev. Lance Giuffrida (Staff photo by Martin Gavin) Church audit sought BY GLORIA LaBOUNTY SUN CHRONICLE STAFF ATTLEBORO - The decision by Anglicans at All Saints parish to separate from the Episcopal diocese and national church is now drawing financial scrutiny. The Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts has ordered an audit of the church's finances dating back to 2000, which includes the period when the Rev. Lance Giuffrida was rector there. According to the Rev. Gregory Jacobs, the diocese's staff officer for urban ministry development, some financial records are not in the church's computer database, some monthly bank statements are incomplete and bills accumulated by the separated parish are still outstanding. "The lack of full reporting and financial records has made it difficult to ascertain the current assets and liabilities of the church," Jacobs said. When contacted Thursday about the diocesan statements and pending audit, Giuffrida referred questions to his congregation's lawyer, John Jacobi of Attleboro. Reached by telephone, Jacobi declined to comment. Parishioners at All Saints voted weeks ago to separate from the Episcopal church, and celebrated their last service Sunday at All Saints church on North Main Street before turning over the property to the diocese Monday as Bishop Thomas Shaw had ordered. Since then, former parishioners have been returning and offering their help in preparation for the arrival of a new priest this weekend. Jacobs said the bills in question include about $10,000 for parish expenses in recent months, and a diocesan loan to the parish of about $62,000 made within the last two years for building improvements. The records also show that the church vestry approved a loan to Giuffrida when he first arrived at the parish about five years ago to help him buy a home, with the provision that the money be paid back when the house was sold. The amount of the loan is not known from the records that are available, Jacobs said. Parish representatives who were at the church Monday indicated they would try to provide the requested records, Jacobs said, and the diocese will give them a reasonable amount of time to do that. If the records are not produced, he said, then the diocese will proceed with the audit based on the records that are available. Once the audit is completed, he said the diocese will determine if there are any liabilities and expenses that are the responsibility of the Anglican congregation. If there are, the congregation will be asked to pay those bills. Part of the issue is the timing of the congregation's separation from the diocese. Jacobs said the church vestry and Giuffrida voted to separate in mid-September, and the diocese's position is that any bills acquired after that would be the responsibility of the Anglican parish. Jacobs also said that under church law, parishes are supposed to conduct an annual audit and certify to the diocese that it was done, but there is no record that All Saints has had audits done since 2002.