Canadian archbishop: Making abuse guidelines mandatory gets complex

Published: 2006-10-25

OTTAWA (CNS) -- Making voluntary sexual abuse guidelines mandatory for Canadian bishops is a complex question, involving issues such as autonomy and civil and common law, said the president of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops. Archbishop Andre Gaumond of Sherbrooke, Quebec, said the bishops have some differences over the issue, largely based on the fact that Quebec has civil law while the rest of Canada operates under common law. "It's not an easy question; it's very complex," Archbishop Gaumond said in an interview Oct. 23. The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops has asked its permanent council, which meets in November, to consider the issue of making voluntary sexual abuse guidelines mandatory. "We have to be careful" before instituting "a mandatory protocol throughout Canada," Archbishop Gaumond said. "Many bishops have expressed their own feelings and opinions. I think we are going in the right direction, but we think it is important to be careful not to make a mistake.

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