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	Bishops to Vote on Funding for Sex-Abuse Study Zenit October 27, 2006 http://www.zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=97300 Washington, D.C., OCT. 27, 2006 (Zenit.org).- The U.S. bishops will vote next month on a proposal to release one-third of the money earmarked to study the causes of clergy sexual abuse of minors in this country. If the proposal is accepted, $335,000 will be used to underwrite the first three segments of the research, which is being undertaken by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, part of City University of New York. Last November the bishops accepted a proposal from John Jay for the study, called for by the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, which was passed by the U.S. bishops in 2002. The study, to be completed in 2009, is expected to cost $3 million. The U.S. bishops have committed $1 million toward it. Further funding is being sought from Catholic and other philanthropic groups. The first part of the study will look at the historical context and influences on the problem, so as to see "whether the incidence of abuse of children by priests is or is not consistent with overall social patterns of deviant behavior during the last half-century," says the proposal. The second component will focus on Church response to cases of sexual abuse, and will compare the actions of three "dioceses with optimal response to reports of sexual abuse made after 1985 and three dioceses with notably -- via public record -- unsuccessful response will be studied," according to the proposal. The proposal states that the third segment aims "to understand on an individual level, how priests with allegations of sexual abuse differ from other priests -- those with and without other problems -- as well as sex offenders who are not priests." The proposal notes: "It is important to recognize that the Church is funding a study of groundbreaking significance in the field of research into sexual abuse of children." The bishops will meet Nov. 13-16 in Baltimore.
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