BishopAccountability.org
	Vatican Abuse Rules Already in Place Here By Dan Horn Cincinnati Enquirer July 16, 2010 http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20100716/NEWS01/7170329/Vatican-abuse-rules-already-in-place-here The Vatican's revised policies on handling abusive priests will likely have more impact on the church overseas than in Cincinnati or Northern Kentucky. That's because U.S. bishops enacted standards years ago that match or, in some cases, are more strict than the rules set down this week by Pope Benedict XVI for dealing with priests accused of sexually abusing children. Vatican officials have said many of the new rules aren't new at all and have been observed worldwide for several years. The Vatican's move this week simply makes them part of church law. "We do not see any need for changes in our guidelines," said Tim Fitzgerald, a spokesman for the Diocese of Covington. "What the Vatican has done is mostly codify procedures that had been in place already." One change that might have an impact here involves the Vatican's in-house procedures for dealing with priests who have been suspended because of child abuse accusations. Dozens of priests across the country, including five in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and one in the Diocese of Covington, currently are awaiting a Vatican decision on whether they should be permanently removed from the priesthood. Some of those cases have been pending for as long as eight years. The revised policies could speed up the process by streamlining ecclesiastical trials or eliminating them altogether in the most serious and clear-cut cases. "Getting it done right is more important than getting it done, but it has been a long time," said Dan Andriacco, spokesman of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. "We would like to get some closure on this. I think everybody would." The new rules also expand the definition of sexual abuse of minors to include possession of child pornography and they regard the abuse of mentally disabled adults as equivalent to the abuse of children. The Vatican also extended the church's statute of limitations from 10 to 20 years in cases of child abuse, which means priests could face punishment under church law for credible accusations as long as two decades after the abuse occurred. U.S. bishops adopted stricter rules after the abuse crisis erupted in this country in 2002. Those rules include no statute of limitations on abuse cases and require bishops to immediately report all allegations of abuse to police. Victim advocates say they were disappointed the Vatican rules do not explicitly require reporting to authorities and do not set down punishments for bishops who protect abusive priests. "The document has a number of serious limitations," Kristine Ward, chairwoman of the National Survivor Advocates Coalition, said in a statement. "Chief among them is its silence on action to place into church law accountability for the cover up by Bishops - once again allowing Bishops to get off scot free." Dan Frondorf, leader of the Cincinnati chapter of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, said the new rules mean little to Catholics in the United States because they are no tougher than the rules the bishops put in place in 2002. "None of it is going to have any real impact on American bishops," Frondorf said. He said he's also skeptical of the Vatican's efforts to speed up the disciplinary process for suspended priests. "Everything moves slowly in the church," he said. "Quick for the church is still years and years and years." Contact: dhorn@enquirer.com
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