Vatican extends U.S. sexual abuse norms

Published: 2005-03-31

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The Vatican's Congregation for Bishops has granted an extension of the special U.S. church norms for dealing with sexual abuse of minors by clergy, a U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops spokesman told Catholic News Service March 30. "The life of the current norms has been extended until further action by the USCCB, which presumably will be in June," said Msgr. Francis J. Maniscalco, director of the USCCB's communications department, in response to an e-mail inquiry. He did not elaborate, but such an extension had to come from the Congregation for Bishops, the office that originally granted a "recognitio," or official Vatican approval, to the norms. The "Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People" and the accompanying legal document, "Essential Norms for Diocesan-Eparchial Policies Dealing With Allegations of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Priests or Deacons," were originally approved by the U.S. bishops at their June 2002 meeting in Dallas.

Copyright (c) 2005 Catholic News Service /U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The CNS news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed, including but not limited to such means as framing or any other digital copying or distribution method, in whole or in part without the prior written authority of Catholic News Service .