A leading Roman Catholic bishop warns that an unprecedented study the church commissioned on 50 years of clergy sex abuse cases will "add to our own sorrow" about predatory priests.
The study will count the number of abuse claims nationwide since the 1950s and tally the costs for legal settlements with victims, attorneys' fees and therapy for victims and offenders. The report is to be released Feb. 27, during Lent.
Bishop Wilton Gregory, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said hearing the results will be unpleasant and painful.
"It will certainly add to our own sorrow" and will "add some pain to an already painful moment in the history of the church," Gregory said Tuesday at the bishops' national meeting.
On Wednesday, the bishops are to vote on several proposals, including approving a statement condemning same-sex unions, a guide to popular devotional practices such as pilgrimages and a document clarifying how Sunday services should be celebrated if no priest is available. The conference ends Thursday.
The abuse study the bishops commissioned is being overseen by the 12-member National Review Board, a watchdog panel of laymen selected by church leaders in response to the scandal.
Anne Burke, an Illinois appellate judge who is the board's acting chairwoman, told the bishops Tuesday that about 80 percent of U.S. dioceses had responded to the survey by mid-September, a response rate she called remarkable for such a complex report. She said she expected all dioceses to answer by the deadline later this month.
When the survey was announced, some bishops worried that information might be used in civil lawsuits against dioceses and worried about confidentiality for priests included in the study. It was feared some bishops might not participate because of those concerns, but Burke said she expects in the end all will complete the survey.
The board is overseeing several studies meant to find the extent of abuse in the church and the roots of the crisis that erupted in January 2002. A report on the causes of the scandal is scheduled to be released along with the statistical survey, which is being conducted by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York.
The board also is working with the bishops' newly created Office of Child and Youth Protection on audits of all 195 U.S. dioceses. Investigators are reviewing whether officials are complying with the church's toughened discipline policy on guilty priests. The audit results are scheduled to be released Jan. 6.
William Burleigh, a member of the review board, told church leaders that the panel has worked to maintain its independence from the bishops as it oversees the reviews.
"In adopting this posture, we hope we are not seen by you as hostile or untrustworthy. Nothing could be further from the truth," said Burleigh, board chairman and former chief executive officer of E.W. Scripps Co. "As a board, we are united by our love for the church and a burning desire to see her wounds healed."
The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests suggested the audits might not be truly independent, since investigators are relying on information provided by dioceses.
"In essence, the bishops have drawn up the rules of the game, hired the umpires and are now declaring they're winning," said Terrie Light, a SNAP leader from San Francisco. "Fundamentally, it's still voluntary self-reporting, so we urge caution in interpreting any results."