CHICAGO (IL)
Star-Ledger
Thursday, June 16, 2005
BY JEFF DIAMANT
Star-Ledger Staff
CHICAGO -- Three years after their historic meeting in Dallas, the nation's Catholic bishops will gather here today, poised to renew a rule that permanently bars from the ministry priests accused of sexual misconduct.
The "zero-tolerance" policy is a central part of the so-called "Dallas Charter" the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops adopted in 2002 when revelations of sexual abuse by priests were rocking the Catholic church.
The sex scandal, the worst crisis in the history of the American church, spawned international dismay not only over the abusive priests, but over bishops who protected them by quietly shuffling them among parishes and not forwarding details of allegations to law enforcement.
In the last three years, bishops have conducted studies showing that, from 1950 to 2002, 4percent of priests had been credibly accused of sex abuse. Dioceses in the United States have paid out more than $1billion in legal settlements, counseling and attorneys' fees related to the abuse.
The Dallas Charter called for bishops to reconsider its provisions in two years. When the bishops met in November, they decided to delay action until the meeting this week.