Vatican studies sex abuse by priests

Web posted 7/4/97

The Associated Press

PITTSBURGH (AP) - Vatican officials and U.S. bishops in the Roman Catholic Church disagree over when and how a priest accused of sexual abuse should be removed from the ministry.  U.S. bishops say they are glad the Vatican is addressing the problem of priests molesting minors but fear Roman Catholic officials will try to tie their hands in actively responding to sexual abuse complaints.  Nicholas Cafardi, a Pittsburgh canon and dean of Duquesne University Law School, said U.S. dioceses have struggled to address the problem with sensitivity.  ``That has only happened after an awful lot of real pain. I would hope that Rome isn't convinced that we need to revisit that,'' Cafardi said.  In the last 15 years, an estimated 800 of the 50,000 U.S. priests have been accused of molesting children.  In New Mexico, Archbishop Michael Sheehan has removed 20 priests from the ministry in the last few years. Nineteen were removed by a local administrative process and one by a more formal judicial process.  Many of the priests removed from ministry in New Mexico had been accused of pedophilia in cases that went back 20 to 30 years.  ``We believe we've done everything fairly and properly,'' said Sister Nancy Kazik, vice chancellor of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe.  Kazik declined to comment on the reasons for choosing the judicial method in the one case.  Vatican officials have received numerous appeals from priests who say they were wrongly removed from the ministry.  The pope's representative in the United States, Archbishop Agostino Cacciavillan, has urged U.S. bishops to make sure their policies conform to canon law so decisions are not overturned in the Vatican's high court.  ``Rome is arguing that the bishop should not be prosecutor, judge and jury,'' said the Rev. Thomas Reese, who studies Catholic hierarchy at Georgetown University.  The Rev. Ladislas Orsy, a Washington canon lawyer, said the Vatican is worried about bishops acting on unsubstantiated accusations. ``Then the bishop obviously finds himself in a difficult position. On one hand he must safeguard the reputation of a priest,'' Orsy said. ``On the other hand, if there is a danger for young, vulnerable persons, he has to protect those persons.''