VATICAN CITY, Oct 18 (Reuters) - The Vatican on Friday turned down proposals 
by U.S. Roman Catholic bishops on dealing with paedophile priests.

Below is the text of the letter addressed to the President of the United 
States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Wilton Gregory, which lays out the 
Vatican position (official Vatican English-language version).

Your Excellency,

With your letter of June 26, 2002, you forwarded to the Ho1y See the document 
entitled "Essential Norms for Diocesan/ Eparchial Policies Dealing with 
Allegations of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Priests, Deacons or Other Church 
Personnel" ("Norms"), approved at the Plenary Assembly of the United States 
Conference of Catholic Bishops which took place in Dallas (Texas) from June 
13-15, and for which you requested the recognitio.

The Holy See, above all, would like to convey full solidarity with the 
Bishops of the United States in their firm condemnation of sexual misdeeds 
against minors and is deeply concerned about the distressing situation that 
has arisen in recent months in the Church in the United States.

Likewise, the Holy See wishes to encourage the efforts of the Episcopal 
Conference in assisting the Bishops to address these difficult problems.

The sexual abuse of minors is particularly abhorrent. Deeply moved by the 
sufferings of the victims and their families, the Holy See supports the 
American Bishops in their endeavor to respond firmly to the sexual misdeeds 
of the very small number of those who minister or labor in the service of the 
Church.

But such a very small number cannot overshadow "the immense spiritual, human 
and social good that the vast majority of priests and religious in the United 
States have done and are still doing" (Pope John Paul II, Address to the 
Cardinals and to the Presidency of the Episcopal Conference of the United 
States, April 23, 2002).

The Apostolic See likewise acknowledges the efforts which the Bishops of the 
United States have made through the "Norms" and the guidelines contained in 
the "Bishops' Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People" 
("Charter") to protect minors and to avoid future recurrences of these abuses.

Such efforts should also help to preserve or restore the trust of the 
faithful in their pastors.

Despite these efforts, the application of the policies adopted at the Plenary 
Assembly in Dallas can be the source of confusion and ambiguity, because the 
"Norms" and "Charter" contain provisions which in some aspects are difficult 
to reconcile with the universal law of the Church.

Moreover, the experience of the last few months has shown that the 
terminology of these documents is at times vague or imprecise and therefore 
difficult to interpret.

Questions also remain concerning the concrete manner in which the procedures 
outlined in the "Norms" and "Charter" are to be applied in conjunction with 
the requirements of the Code of Canon Law and the Motu proprio Sacramentorum 
sanctitatis tutela (AAS 93, 2001, p. 787).

For these reasons, it has been judged appropriate that before the recognitio 
can be granted, a further reflection on and revision of the "Norms" and the 
"Charter" are necessary.

In order to facilitate this work, the Holy See proposes that a Mixed 
Commission be established, composed of four bishops chosen from the Episcopal 
Conference of the United States, and four representatives from those 
Dicasteries of the Holy See which have direct competence in the matter: the 
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Congregation for Bishops, the 
Congregation for Clergy, and the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts.

On behalf also of the other Dicasteries involved, I look forward to your 
response. With the promise of prayers for your important work in serving the 
United States Catholic Conference of Bishops, I remain

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Cardinal Giovanni Battista,

Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops

10/18/02 07:25 ET 
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