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REVISED U.S. BISHOPS' SEX-ABUSE NORMS CONTAIN PROCEDURAL CHANGES

Differ from "Dallas policy" Approved in June on Several Key Points

WASHINGTON, Nov 4, 02 (CWNews.com/LifeSiteNews.com) - The US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) today made public the text of new proposed norms for the treatment of sex-abuse cases, which were approved by a joint commission of Vatican officials and American bishops.

The revised norms differ from the "Dallas policy" that was approved by the USCCB in June on several key points. The new proposal:

- stresses that the American policy should be seen as "complementary to" the existing Code of Canon Law, and repeats that existing canonical procedures must be followed;

- incorporates a more specific definition of sexual abuse, observing that the Church is primarily concerned with the grave moral fault rather than the legal crime;

- emphasizes that the lay boards to be set up in each diocese will perform an advisory role, rather than exerting the authority that has traditionally been reserved to the bishop; and

- points out that bishops have always had, and still retain, the right to act on their own authority, apart from the procedures set up by the nationwide norms.

In treating the definition of sexual abuse, the revised norms focus on the moral and spiritual dimension of the problem. The new policy reads: "Sexual abuse has been defined by different civil authorities in various ways, and these norms do not adopt any particular definition provided in civil law. Rather, the transgressions in question relate to obligations arising from divine commands regarding human sexual interaction as conveyed to us by the sixth commandment of the Decalogue."

Clarifying the role of lay review boards, the new proposal states that the new group set up in each diocese will be a "confidential consultative body".

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