June 18, 2005

Bishops OK extension of abuse policy

CHICAGO (IL)
Chicago Tribune

By Margaret Ramirez
Tribune religion reporter
Published June 18, 2005

With little protest or debate, the nation's Roman Catholic bishops voted overwhelmingly Friday to renew policies that ban sexually abusive priests from ministry and aim to protect children from abuse.

The historic church rules were drafted by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops after the abuse scandal erupted in 2002 and were approved by the Vatican late that year for a two-year trial period. The policies approved at the bishops' spring meeting in Chicago will be in effect for five years.

Bishops made some changes to the documents but retained the church's "zero-tolerance" rule, stating that when even a single act of abuse is established, the offender will be permanently removed from ministry.

"We go back to the words of our Holy Father. There is no place in the priesthood for anyone who has offended a child. That has held," said Archbishop Harry Flynn of St. Paul-Minneapolis, chairman of the bishops' Sexual Abuse Committee.

"The light is at the end of the tunnel," he said. "Although with sin and brokenness, there is never an end. We must always be vigilant."

Posted by kshaw at June 18, 2005 07:12 AM