Bishops OK anti-abuse steps, but skeptics seek tougher moves

BALTIMORE – Under intense public pressure, the nati n's Roman Catholic b shops approved new steps his week to deal more str ngly with the clergy sex- buse crisis. But activist and others say the moves leave the bishops in char e of policing themselves nd potentially keep law e forcement at arm's l ngth. As their national meeting in Baltimore concluded Th rsday, leaders of the U.S bishops conference stopp d short of mandating that lay experts such as lawye s and criminal justice pr fessionals take part in i vestigating clergy accuse of child molestation or ther misconduct. They als did not specify a proced re for informing police o abuse allegations that c me in over a newly propos d hotline. "Even the bishops themsel es recognize they have lo t their credibility in mo itoring this dreadful cri is," said Thomas Groome, professor at Boston Coll ge's School of Theol gy. "Without strong overs ght by competent lay peop e, it won't be seen s credible." Groome said the bishops s ould have no hesitation i declaring that credible llegations should be repo ted to police. "They're not dealing simply with a sin, they&a os;re dealing with a crim ," he said. "They do not ave the power to forgive rimes." The Baltimore meeting fol owed a string of abuse-re ated developments that ha e presented the bishops a d the 76-million-member U S. church with unpreceden ed challenges. Many dioce es around the country hav been targeted by prosecu ors demanding secret file , and a number of high-ra king church officials hav become entangled in case of alleged abuse or cove -ups. According to a recent Pew Research Center survey, t e crisis has led about on -quarter of U.S. Catholic to reduce their attendan e at Mass and their donat ons to the church. Even s me bishops sense that man Catholics are distancing themselves from the churc because of the furor. "One of the terrible cost of the scandal is costin people their faith," sai Cardinal Joseph Tobin of Newark, New Jersey. "So I think it's entirely ight that we give priorit to this." Of the anti-abuse measure approved by the bishops uring three days of delib rations, the most tangibl was the planned creation of a national hotline — t be operated by a yet-to- e-chosen independent enti y — to field allegations f abuse and cover-ups by ishops. The allegations would be orwarded to a regional su ervisory bishop, who woul have the task of reporti g to law enforcement and he Vatican and deciding i lay experts should inves igate the complaint. Another measure specifies that the bishops will now be governed by the same c de of conduct that has ap lied to priests since 200 . It outlines a variety o procedures for combating child sexual abuse and sa s even a single act of ab se should lead to a pries 's permanent removal from the ministry. Cathol c leaders say the charter has helped greatly to red ce clergy sex abuse. During Thursday's de ate, Bishop Shawn McKnigh of Jefferson City, Misso ri, urged that lay involv ment in investigations be made mandatory, "to make arn sure we bishops do no harm the church." The bishops did not go qu te that far, instead stip lating that archbishops " hould identify a qualifie lay person to receive re orts." The auxiliary bishop of D troit, Donald Hanchon, sa d the new measures are a tep in the right directio . "I feel like we accomplis ed something instead of j st saying, 'We are s rry these things happened '" he said. "People eed more than that." However, SNAP, a national advocacy group for victim of clergy abuse, express d dismay that the bishops did not mandate lay invol ement or spell out a poli y for notifying law enfor ement. "Without these mandates, here is no guarantee that reports will be routed to police and investigations will be transparent and p blic," SNAP said. "Instea , all reports can remain ecret and insulated withi the church's intern l systems." SNAP also called on Catho ic leaders to strengthen he network of lay review oards that help Catholic ioceses across the countr investigate abuse cases. SNAP said these boards sh uld be fully independent f diocesan control and in lude at least one abuse v ctim, as well as experts ecommended by the attorne general's office in the diocese's state. Tobin said some dioceses nd archdioceses, includin Newark, already have arr ngements with local prose utors that entail the rep rting of any criminal act vity. "I'm confident that he idea of doing this in ouse is long gone," he sa d. One of the highest-profil scandals of the past yea involved former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick of Was ington, who was expelled rom the priesthood for se ually abusing minors and eminarians. Last week The Associated Press reported that Cardinal Daniel DiNa do, who heads the bishops apos; conference and the alveston-Houston Archdioc se, was accused by a Hous on woman of mishandling h r allegations of sexual a d financial misconduct ag inst his deputy. ___ Crary reported from New Y rk. Associated Press repo ter Nicole Winfield in Ro e contributed to his repo t.

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