The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston released final rules today for protecting children from sexual abuse by priests, capping a yearlong effort to prevent the kind of misconduct by priests that has embroiled the archdiocese in scandal.
"I wish to personally commit myself to the full implementation and the carrying out of these policies for the protection of the children of our diocese," Bishop Richard Lennon, interim leader of the archdiocese, said.
The policy, which replaces rules put in place in 1993, was a result of consultation among the archdiocese and sexual abuse experts, victims of abuse, law enforcement and experts in church law. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops adopted a nationwide policy for abuse in November, and the Vatican approved it in December. That policy required all American dioceses to establish their own protocols.
Many of the rules released today were instated earlier, including the mandatory reporting of accusations to law enforcement agencies.
The policy also sets up a nine-member review board to advise the archbishop on sexual abuse cases. It is to include a pastor, a sexual abuse expert, a psychiatrist and an abuse victim or family member.
Further, the policy spells out the rights of victims and priests.
Although the rules closely resemble those adopted by the national conference, some parts are more stringent. For example, the review board is to examine each accusation automatically; the bishops' rules do not require that every accusation be heard by a review board.
Still, Ann Hagan Webb, the New England Regional Coordinator of the Survivors Network for Those Abused by Priests, expressed concern that the review board would not have enough power.
"A lay board that has no teeth is so much lip service," Ms. Webb said.
The state attorney general's office, which has been working closely with the archdiocese to create child protections, criticized the new rules as overly complex.
"The process, from the moment an allegation of sexual abuse is made to the final disposition on discipline, is fraught with barriers for victims seeking justice," Assistant Attorney General Alice Moore said in a letter today to the archdiocese.
The Rev. Robert Oliver, who coordinated the policy-setting, said that if the policy had shortcomings, the archdiocese was ready to address them.
"We're willing to continue, very much, with the dialogue to make this policy as good as we can make it," Father Oliver said.