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US-Vatican commission makes suggested revisions in US bishops' sex policy
By Associated Press, 10/30/02
VATICAN CITY -- A joint American-Vatican commission has completed revisions to the U.S. bishops' sweeping discipline policy for priests who sexually abuse children, the Vatican said Wednesday. Neither the Vatican nor the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops released details of the revisions, which were made with extraordinary speed for the Holy See -- over two days of private meetings. Victims groups have expressed concern that the Roman Catholic hierarchy will severely weaken the strictest parts of the bishops' plan. But Cardinal Francis George, one of the U.S. members of the commission, said in a statement that he believed the goals of the policy, "to protect minors and to reach out to victims," have been preserved and the rights of accused priests have been protected. Sister Mary Ann Walsh, a spokeswoman for the bishops' conference in Washington, D.C., said no further information would be released Wednesday. U.S. bishops will vote on the recommended changes at their national meeting Nov. 11-14 in Washington, then will return the policy to the Vatican for a final review. The eight-member commission was appointed after the Vatican refused to give its approval to the policy because of conflicts with church law followed around the world. The joint commission met Monday and Tuesday. The American policy, which the bishops overwhelmingly approved in response to hundreds of abuse claims revealed this year, calls for removing a priest from his ministry, and in some cases from the priesthood itself, after a "credible" allegation of abuse is made. It called for prolonging the statute of limitations on molestation claims and creating lay review boards to oversee dioceses' response to accusations. Vatican officials and American church law experts had expressed concern that the policy violated the rights of priests. Abuse victims interpreted the Vatican demand for revisions as a sign that the church was backing away from its commitment to protect children. Philip Lawler, a conservative and editor of the Web site Catholic World News, said it was possible -- but unlikely -- that the U.S. bishops on the commission were able to address the Vatican's concerns without making major concessions. "If the American bishops didn't convince the Vatican in four months, I can't believe they did it in two days," Lawler said. The Rev. Thomas Reese, a Vatican expert and author of the Jesuit magazine America, said the quick work of the panel indicates the Vatican understands the gravity of the crisis in the American church. "The recommendations of the commission need to very clearly protect children while at the same time providing due process in the treatment of accused priests. Otherwise the controversy will continue, and get worse," Reese said. At least 300 of the 46,000 U.S. priests have either resigned or been suspended this year over accusations of sexual abuse, prompting lay people to withhold donations and demand a greater voice in church affairs. The other three American members of the panel were Archbishop William Levada of San Francisco, Bishop Thomas Doran of Rockford, Ill., and Bishop William Lori of Bridgeport, Conn. U.S. panel members did not return calls in Rome seeking comment. |
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