Head of bishops' effort to address clergy sex abuse sees progress

Published: 2004-09-01

SEATTLE (CNS) -- As the nation's Catholic dioceses and eparchies undergo a second annual auditing of their efforts to prevent and address the problem of clergy sexual abuse of minors, the woman overseeing the effort is encouraged by what's been done so far. Kathleen McChesney, executive director of the U.S. Catholic bishops' Office of Child and Youth Protection, said she sees signs that public confidence is increasing as a result of the bishops' actions in working to ensure the safety of all children from clergy abuse. She said those actions include the annual reports (audits); the John Jay study released earlier this year on the nature and scope of the clergy abuse; and the fact that some dioceses are going beyond the procedures that the bishops established to protect children. "Based on the people we've talked to, (and) based on the news reporting, the (public) confidence is increasing," McChesney said, "but it will take some time before people are truly comfortable with what the church has done." McChesney, who grew up in Holy Family Parish in Auburn and whose parents still live in the area, spoke in an interview with The Catholic Northwest Progress, Seattle archdiocesan newspaper, in late August.

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