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	RC Bishops Condemn Sex Abuse Trinidad and Tobago's Newsday May 1, 2010 http://www.newsday.co.tt/news/0,120000.html CARIBBEAN Roman Catholic bishops have condemned the sexual abuse of minors “by clergy and anyone else” and said they were “ashamed of such regrettable incidents”. The comment on the scandal which embroiled the Church and Pope Benedict XVI came via a communique following the 54th Annual Plenary Meeting of the Antilles Episcopal Conference (AEC) in Grenada last week. A release Catholic Media Services Ltd. (CAMSEL) said the bishops were in solidarity with the Pope and the Church Universal. They said, “As your bishops, we have established policies for dealing with sexual abuse of minors. We concur with the directives of the Holy See to comply with civil law in reporting all cases of sexual abuse of minors. We are also committed to do all in our power to facilitate the process of healing and protection of children”. At the meeting, the bishops pledged to give priority to initiatives which encourage more vocations to the religious life. An ad-hoc committee has been established to co-ordinate vocation work in the AEC. The committee will deliver its first report in January. Commenting on the three-year suspension of studies at the Regional Seminary at Mt St Benedict, the bishops agreed that for the period the regional seminary board will transfer “full authority, responsibility and accountability for the seminary” to the Archbishop of Port-of-Spain Edward Gilbert.
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