New York Times
With guidance from Pope John Paul II, the American cardinals who gathered at the Vatican this week began the work of rescuing the Roman Catholic Church from the debilitating clerical sex scandals that have so shaken the church in the United States. Much of what was done in Rome was constructive, particularly the pope's strong condemnation of the predatory sexual practices of priests and his acknowledgment that the molestation of children is a crime. Yet even as the cardinals moved to confront the problem and deal more openly and forcefully with abusive priests, they failed to embrace the kind of disciplinary reforms that would decisively break with past mistakes.
The pope's opening statement on Tuesday broke months of near-silence and contained a strongly worded condemnation of sexual abuse and a powerful, if implicit, criticism of senior church authorities who have looked the other way. Though enfeebled by age and illness, John Paul left no doubt that he appreciated the gravity of the problem Catholic leaders face not only in the United States but in many other countries.
The cardinals followed with a final communiqué that among other things endorsed the need for national standards for dealing with abusive priests. The policy would include a special process for dismissing priests found guilty of child molestation, as well as a separate process for dealing with priests who are judged to be a "threat" to children.
Unfortunately, these recommendations stopped short of a zero-tolerance policy for all abusive priests, an issue on which there appears to have been strenuous disagreement. Only priests found guilty of "serial, predatory, sexual abuse of minors" would be dismissed or, as one bishop put it more delicately at a news conference, "separated from the clerical estate." The policy for suspected abusers, however, was less clear-cut; in their case, local bishops would be able to exercise discretion. ...
The steps taken in Rome will mean little without aggressive follow-up by the American hierarchy and a continuing commitment to develop a detailed strategy to prevent similar disasters in the future. One clear test will be the national meeting of United States bishops scheduled for Dallas in June.
Boston Globe
The statements issued yesterday at the Vatican provided incomplete advice to U.S. bishops as they devise a policy regarding sexually abusive priests. These were very much documents written within the clerical culture, and they failed to address the crisis of confidence among the laity that is most acutely expressed in the Boston Archdiocese.
The Vatican and the U.S. cardinals, ending their extraordinary emergency meeting in Rome, offered expressions of sympathy to the victims of sexual abuse and their families. The rest of the laity were left with a day of prayer and penance to be announced later.
Many lay Catholics might wonder what they need to be penitent about, since this scandal was not caused by them but by the failure of bishops, notably Cardinal Bernard F. Law, to keep abusive priests from preying on children.
''The sexual abuse of minors is rightly considered a crime by society,'' the final communiqué notes. Yet there is no mention of how church leaders might assist civil authorities in bringing abusers to justice and no support for a mandatory reporting requirement like that about to be signed into law in Massachusetts that would force bishops to report priests suspected of abuse to law enforcement officials. ...
The cardinals and the Vatican did not adopt a zero-tolerance policy for abusive priests. Instead, they favor a new code to dismiss ''notorious'' repeat offenders. The U.S. bishops should be tougher than that. They need to adopt a strict and transparent national policy for all offenders -- a policy endorsed and monitored by the laity. ...
If the cardinals and the Vatican were open to the voices of the laity, they would hear the pleas from many Catholics in the Boston Archdiocese that Law resign immediately. We on this page agree. This scandal has destroyed his ability to function as a church leader here.
Pope John Paul II asked American Catholics on Tuesday to ''stay close to their priests and bishops.'' Many Catholics in the Boston area will wonder how this is possible when a bishop has betrayed their trust.
Dallas Morning News
Baseball players get three strikes. It's hard to know how many Roman Catholic priests will get if the church's U.S. cardinals have their way. During their meetings in Rome on Wednesday, Cardinal Theodore McCarrick of Washington indicated that they would recommend a "one-strike-you're-out" policy. But their final statement fell short of that. It said that they would recommend a "special process" to defrock a priest who has become "notorious and is guilty of the serial, predatory sexual abuse of minors." For a "not notorious" case, they said that they would recommend another special process that would allow bishops to decide whether a priest is a threat and should be defrocked.
It would be helpful to know precisely what the cardinals mean by "notorious" and "not notorious" and why they think there should be any distinction in that regard. Most people would say that any priest's sexual molestation of a child should be considered notorious. And what does it matter whether a priest is a serial abuser of children or not? Any confirmed instance of sexual abuse is evidence of an aberrant condition that should be grounds for dismissal. Pedophiles should be given no further opportunity to get a second strike, or a third. Pedophilia can be managed, but not cured. Pedophiles should not minister to children again, ever. ...
The U.S. Catholic bishops should eliminate the policy confusion when they meet in Dallas two months hence. They should make absolutely clear that they mean to institute a policy of zero tolerance, that there will be no more protecting of abusive priests, no more furtive transfers of them and silent payments to their victims. The adoption of a coherent, firm, uniform and judiciously applied sexual abuse policy is long overdue. The church cannot truly begin to heal itself until it takes adequate steps to ensure that no more children are exposed to harm.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
The meetings that ended Wednesday at the Vatican set the stage for U.S. bishops to do the right thing when they gather in Dallas in June for their general meeting. And the right thing is to establish a "zero tolerance" policy for clergy who commit the crime of child sexual abuse.
That seemed to be where Pope John Paul II was heading when he said, "People need to know that there is no place in the priesthood and religious life for those who would harm the young. They must know that bishops and priests are totally committed to the fullness of Catholic truth on matters of sexual morality, a truth as essential to the renewal of the priesthood and the episcopate as it is to the renewal of marriage and family life." ...
The American Catholic leaders who attended the meetings in Rome seemed at first blush to be a little confused about what the pope said. Cardinal Theodore McCarrick of Washington indicated at one point that the pope favored a "one-strike-you're-out" policy. But other leaders said Wednesday that they will recommend a special process to defrock any priest who has become "notorious and is guilty of the serial, predatory sexual abuse of minors."
That language seems too vague and begs too many questions. What, exactly, does "notorious" mean in this context? Is "serial" two cases? Three? Four? Will the word "predatory" be open to interpretation as well?
Zero tolerance, which the Los Angeles Archdiocese already put in place, would be a much cleaner policy. ...
It's up to the U.S. bishops now to establish policy for the American church at their June meeting. When they do that, they need to keep in mind something else the pope said: "Because of the great harm done by some priests and religious, the church herself is viewed with distrust. ... "
If the bishops want to re-establish trust, they need to send a clear message in language everyone can understand that no clergy guilty of the crime of child sexual abuse will be allowed to serve in any ministry.
New York Newsday
By moving to set up a process for dismissing pedophile priests, the Vatican and U.S. cardinals have made a start toward rebuilding the credibility of Catholic bishops. Unfortunately, they stopped short of proposing the zero-tolerance policy that some cardinals had discussed publicly. It would be wise for the bishops themselves to step forward and adopt such a policy at their twice-annual meeting in June.
After a two-day meeting among American cardinals and Vatican officials, a disappointing statement was released proposing a special process to expel "notorious" priests who are guilty of "serial, predatory, sexual abuse of minors." Another process was proposed for those who aren't "notorious." The obvious question is who decides what is a crime. It shouldn't be the bishops. ...
The bishops worry that innocent priests may be hurt by the scandal -- as some already have been -- but they must balance that valid apprehension with an unswerving dedication to protecting innocent children.
(Compiled by United Press International.)