NEW ORLEANS (LA)
The New Orleans Advocate
June 23, 2018
By Jim Mustian
In 2002, at the height of the sexual abuse scandal that devastated the Catholic Church, nearly 300 American bishops met in Dallas and created a charter intended to protect children and prevent future cover-ups of predatory clergy.
The letter and spirit of the accord were clear: The church, in its proactive atonement, would impose a “zero-tolerance” policy toward any cleric involved in sexual misconduct. And, in a bid to end decades of enabling and obfuscation — and a lack of communication between parish and parishioner — the prelates pledged to be “open and transparent” in discussing a crisis without precedent in the church’s history.
“This is especially so with regard to informing parish and other church communities directly affected by sexual abuse of a minor,” the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People states in its seventh article.
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