WASHINGTON (DC)
U.S. Newswire
WASHINGTON, Nov. 16 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The U.S. Bishops'Abuse Tracker Review Board, which advises the church on the handling of clergy sexual abuse of minors, has selected the John Jay College of Criminal Justice of the City University of New York to conduct a major study of the causes and context of the problem. John Jay College will work with Fordham University and other experts across the United States to carry out the research.
The decision was announced Nov. 16 by Patricia Ewers, Ph.D., chair of the board, during a meeting with the U.S. bishops in Washington.
Jeremy Travis, the president of John Jay College, when informed of the decision said: "John Jay College is honored to have been selected to carry out this enormously important research project. We commit ourselves to conducting the research with scrupulous objectivity and scientific rigor to advance society's understanding of the causes and context of the problem within the Church."
The study, Causes and Context of the Sexual Abuse of Children and Youth by Catholic Clergy in the United States, was called for by the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, which was passed by the U.S. bishops in Dallas in 2002. According to the Charter, "To understand the problem more fully and to enhance the effectiveness of our future response, theAbuse Tracker Review Board will commission a comprehensive study of the causes and context of the current crisis."