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	Canadian Catholic News: Bishops Defer Decision on Sex-Abuse Guidelines By Deborah Gyapong Catholic Online October 25, 2006 http://www.catholic.org/international/international_story.php?id=21745 Ottawa, Canada (CCN) – The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) referred the question on making voluntary sexual abuse guidelines mandatory to its permanent council's November meeting. "It's not an easy question, it's very complex," said CCCB President Archbishop André Gaumond of Quebec in a telephone interview Oct. 23. Archbishop Gaumond said Francophone and Anglophone bishops have some differences over the issue, largely based on the fact that Quebec has civil law while the rest of Canada operates under common law. "We have to be careful before a [instituting] a mandatory protocol throughout Canada," Archbishop Gaumond said. "Many bishops have expressed their own feelings and opinions. I think we are going in the right direction, but we think it is important to be careful not to make a mistake." "It has been a good exchange," he said. The bishops added extra time onto their agenda during their annual plenary Oct. 16-20 to deal with the sexual-abuse issue. Another problem for establishing mandatory procedures is the autonomy of each diocese. "How can we make efficient links with the whole church in Canada? Every bishop has his own protocol," Archbishop Gaumond said, noting that he has his own protocol in his diocese based on the document the bishops' developed in the 1990s, "From Pain to Hope." "We have already something to rely on," he said. "The bishops are using this document accurately. But is it possible to make another step and have a mandatory way of explaining to the public what we are doing?" One of the difficulties remains the fact that each bishop remains independent and answerable only to Rome. In the legal sense, there is no overall Catholic Church of Canada. The CCCB serves the individual bishops in what they agree to do together. It cannot bind the bishops unless the Holy See agrees. The bishops also devoted time to reflecting on Catholics in public life. Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, archbishop emeritus of Washington, was invited to give a talk that spurred discussion. Among the topics raised were whether Catholic politicians who advocate positions contrary to church teachings should be refused communion. Canadian bishops also asked how they might encourage Catholics to enter public life. Another issue high on the bishops' agenda is marriage because a vote in Parliament is expected some time this fall on whether to reopen the debate on the redefinition of marriage. Archbishop Gaumond said the bishops don't have a precise strategy because they do not know exactly when the vote will take place, but they do have a declaration ready for publication when Parliament decides to re-examine same-sex marriage. The bishops have decided to stress children's rights and press for further study of the implications for children and society should marriage stay redefined. "We also wish to have more studies on the implications on changing the marriage definition," he said, noting that of special concern were the implications for the rights of children in 10 or 20 years. Internal matters and continued reflection on an ongoing restructuring of the CCCB occupied the bishops as well. The CCCB adopted another balanced budget for 2007 and is expecting a small surplus for 2006. The bishops also addressed the episcopal structures of the conference in an ongoing restructuring that will continue into next year. At the plenary, the bishops decided to maintain the status quo regarding the size of their 16-member permanent council and their present executive committee composed of the president, vice-president and two co-treasurers. Archbishop Gaumond said there's a lot of pressure to maintain the size of the council to keep it representative. There has also been financial pressure to make it smaller or have it meet less frequently. Duplication of efforts has been a problem. Archbishop Gaumond said he himself has experienced studying problems at one table in the morning with the executive committee, and in the afternoon looking at the same problems with the permanent council. "We're always trying to avoid any unnecessary expenses because we are short of money," he said. The bishops agreed that responsibility for coordinating priorities and programs be incorporated in the work of the permanent council, and no longer done by a special committee. They have kept six national Episcopal commissions, but plan to look at what projects these commission will focus on over the next year. "Next year will deal more on the content, what are we going to do together," he said. As part of the restructuring process, the bishops also reviewed what canon law requires of conferences of bishops.
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