The bishops of the Atlanta province with members of their staffs held their semi-annual meeting in Charleston, S.C., in late October to deal with the problem of the sexual misconduct with minors by diocesan priests and other personnel.

As the Metropolitan Archbishop for the Province, newly installed Archbishop John F. Donoghue presided at the meeting.

"This meeting was part of our continuing education program about the issue of sexual abuse," Archbishop Donoghue said after the meeting. "Our primary concern is the protection of the children entrusted to our care."

"Each of the dioceses in our province has guidelines in place to address this issue and we are constantly looking to revise these guidelines when new information becomes available," Archbishop Donoghue said. "This is a complex and troubling issue whose causes and treatment are still being researched by the scientific community."

Officials from the Archdiocese of Chicago were invited to relate their experiences with the highly publicized guidelines established by Cardinal Joseph Bernardin a year ago.

Father Thomas Paprocki, chancellor of the Archdiocese of Chicago, offered examples of how the Chicago guidelines are used to respond quickly to allegations of sexual misconduct by priests with minors. Through a fictional case study based on a composite of actual cases, Father Paprocki indicated the procedures which worked well and those which may need revision.

Father Louis Cameli, professor of spirituality at Mundelein Seminary of the Archdiocese of Chicago, facilitated the meting and led participants in prayer services which included prayers for victims and their families, accused priests, and the bishops and other diocesan officials who are working to protect the children of their dioceses.

Although the presentations and discussions centered around the issue of sexual misconduct of priests with minors, the bishops noted that existing policies in all the dioceses of the Province include all church employees and volunteers.

"I found this meeting to be profitable and educational," Archbishop Donoghue said. "It encourages me to pursue more collaborative efforts in the province as we strive to deal with this pressing issue."