Runaways: More Anguish At Covenant

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Father Bruce Ritter, founder of Covenant House, the nation's most successful program for runaway teenagers, hoped that by resigning he would end the controversy that has engulfed the organization since four young men accused him of sexual misconduct. Instead, the turmoil mounted. The state attorney general has widened an investigation to include personal loans that Ritter and other Covenant House officials obtained from the organization, possibly in violation of state law.

To make matters worse, Frank Macchiarola, who became Covenant House's acting president after Ritter was suspended by his religious order while it investigated the allegations of sexual misconduct, also quit. One explanation for his departure was that Ritter urged the board of directors to seek a nun or priest as his permanent replacement and appoint his longtime deputy James Harnett, a layman, as interim head. With the group's credibility compromised, the loan revelations may endanger its fund-raising ability -- and its ministry to the young.