NEW YORK
Albany Times Union
March 6, 2012 at 5:00 am by TU Editorial Board
Our opinion: An agreement between the Albany Roman Catholic Diocese and local district attorneys on sexual abuse reporting is fine, but the real solution is a state law to make clergy mandated reporters.
An agreement between the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany and 14 district attorneys is certainly a step forward in how the church deals with allegations of sexual abuse. As state law now stands, it may be about the best we can hope for.
What’s really needed, though, is a law that would designate clergy as mandated reporters — requiring them to report instances of suspected abuse or maltreatment of children.
Year after year, however, the Legislature, specifically the Senate, has failed to support the idea.
So we’re left with ad hoc solutions like the latest one worked out between DAs and the diocese.
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