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	Changes to Sex Abuse Canons? Vatican Reconsiders Church Laws Related to Handling of Child Sexual Abuse Cases By Laurie Goodstein News Tribune April 22, 2008 http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/nationworld/story/339214.html NEW YORK After three days in which Pope Benedict XVI has persistently addressed the scandal of child sexual abuse by priests, a top Vatican official said on Friday that the church is considering changes to the canon laws that govern how it handles such cases. The official, Cardinal William Levada, would not specify which canons were under reconsideration. But he suggested that they related to the church's statute of limitations, saying that his office has frequently had to judge allegations from years ago because the victims "don't feel personally able to come forward until" they are more mature. The comments by the cardinal, who heads the Vatican office that rules on cases of sexual abuse that are forwarded to Rome by bishops throughout the world, were apparently spontaneous, and came in response to three reporters as he left a luncheon in New York given by Time magazine. The statute of limitations under the church's canon law is 10 years after the victim's 18th birthday, said Nicholas Cafardi, dean emeritus of Duquesne Law School and a civil and canon lawyer. At the luncheon, where Levada sat on a stage and fielded a few questions, he said he did not foresee sanctioning bishops who failed to remove priests suspected of molesting young people. "I personally do not accept that there is a broad base of bishops who are guilty of aiding and abetting pedophiles, and if I thought there were, or knew of them, I would certainly talk to the pope about what could be done about it," the cardinal said. "I am aware of bishops who have admitted to making mistakes, but those seem to be mistakes grounded in taking counsel that didn't turn out to be good advice," he said, explaining that he was referring to reports from psychologists and therapists. But many victims will not be mollified until the church holds bishops accountable. Many victims and their parents have memories of being rebuffed when they tried to alert a bishop to wrongdoing, or of being stunned to learn that a bishop had quietly reassigned a priest accused of molesting a child to another parish. David Clohessy, an abuse victim and an organizer of the largest nationwide support group, Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, said Friday, "If the pope would clearly, publicly and severely discipline even a handful of complicit bishops, bishops who knew or suspected abuse and ignored it or concealed it, that's the easiest and most effective step." Clohessy acknowledged that victims might sound bitter and thankless just when the pope himself is finally taking their side. He began to cry, as he said: "We're not interested in punishment for punishment's sake. We're interested in consequences, because that deters more recklessness, secrecy and deceit." DEVELOPMENTS Making a plea for human rights, Pope Benedict XVI warned diplomats at the United Nations on Friday that international cooperation needed to solve urgent problems is "in crisis" because decisions rest in the hands of a few powerful nations. The U.N. speech highlighted another active day on Benedict's first papal trip to the United States, one that also included the first visit by the leader of the Roman Catholic Church to an American synagogue. In his U.N. address, Benedict said that respect for human rights, not violence, was the key to solving many of the world's problems. The Associated Press Pope's schedule (All times EDT) Today: Mass at St. Patrick's, 9 a.m. Blessing of youths with disabilities, 4:30 p.m. Rally for youths and seminarians, 5 p.m. Sunday: Blessing at the site of the former World Trade Center, 9:30 a.m. Mass at Yankee Stadium, 2:30 p.m. Evening departure.
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