CHICAGO (IL)
Washington Post
By Peter Slevin
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, June 18, 2005; Page A03
CHICAGO, June 17 -- U.S. Roman Catholic bishops today affirmed their policy of zero tolerance for sex offenders, voting by a substantial majority to extend the one-strike approach for five years despite complaints from some priests and bishops that the policy is too inflexible.
The measure bans sex offenders from public church work for life, a step first taken by Catholic authorities in 2002 after hundreds of priests stood accused of sexual misdeeds. Most victims were children.
Minneapolis and St. Paul Archbishop Harry J. Flynn, who guided the policy through the American church hierarchy, told reporters after the vote that the efforts should produce a measure of healing. He added: "The light is at the end of the tunnel, but with sin and brokenness, there is never an end."
Flynn rejected complaints from victims organizations that the policy was "fainthearted." He also took issue with criticism from church insiders that the punishment of some priests for offenses that occurred just once and long ago was unfair.