Top Catholic Bishop Defends Abuse Policy

The head of the nation’s Roman Catholic bishops defended the American church’s toughened sex abuse policy, saying that most dioceses are complying with the new plan and that critics are wrong to say it’s unfair to priests.

Bishop Wilton Gregory, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, also said those who have attacked the policy as a public relations ploy are incorrect. The bishops have responded to the problem of molesters in the clergy with steps grounded in Catholic teaching, he said.

The policy directs bishops to remove guilty clergy from all church work and, in some cases, the priesthood altogether. It also includes provisions that aim to make bishops more accountable for how they handle molestation claims against priests.