Changing Catholic culture will be no easy task for the U.S. bishops, but it's a good sign that many have already gone further than the pope has in handling abuse cases.

Many people reasonably expected that America's Roman Catholic leadership would have left the Vatican this week with an unambiguous commitment to remove sexual predators from the priesthood. Instead, the U.S. cardinals, after an extraordinary meeting with Pope John Paul II, sent a mixed message that in its way revealed how a coverup of a clerical sex scandal could have gone on for decades. This lost opportunity now puts the responsibility squarely on the nation's 300 near-autonomous bishops, who meet in Dallas in June.

John Paul's slowness in confronting the scandal that has engulfed the American church gave way to a sense of urgency when he summoned the cardinals to Rome. But it was clear late Wednesday, as the extraordinary, two-day meeting drew to a close, that the cardinals were divided on how aggressively to respond, and that the curia at the Vatican was content to leave the legal and moral issues muddled and largely an American problem.

John Paul raised expectations by declaring in the final communique that the sexual abuse of minors was "rightly considered a crime" and "an appalling sin." Then the pope and the cardinals digressed, calling attention to the power of "Christian conversion" and suggesting a moral distinction between the age of the victims and whether the priest involved was a "notorious" and "serial" abuser. The equivocation did a terrible disservice to the vast majority of priests who were already living under a cloud.

No one expected the Vatican to provide a detailed map on where the U.S. church should go from here. But after this performance, Catholic parents and the public have reason to wonder if the dimensions of this crisis have fully sunk in with the church's hierarchy.

At least the cardinals did walk away with enough latitude for the U.S. bishops to impose real change when they meet in June. John Paul left open the door for the nation's individual dioceses to cooperate with law enforcement, to involve lay persons when a priest is charged and to make it difficult for problem priests to remain within the pastoral ministry. The cardinals also want sexual issues addressed more honestly and adequately within Catholic seminaries. Perhaps the most significant outcome, given the history of several cardinals in allowing problem priests to continue to serve, was the call for the nation's bishops to create national standards that protect the rights of both victims and the accused priests. Making this process uniform and open is essential to restoring the trust of parishioners and giving accused priests the due process they deserve.

The issue that strenuously divided the U.S. cardinals cannot be avoided by the bishops -- whether the church should have a zero-tolerance policy for all abusive priests. The cardinals believe only priests found guilty of "serial, predatory, sexual abuse of minors" should be dismissed. In other cases, local bishops would use their discretion. The bishops should be guided by the pope's own statement, that there is "no place" in the priesthood for child abusers.

It will be a daunting task for the U.S. bishops to change decades of Catholic culture. But there is reason to hope the bishops can bring about the kind of change that their elders in the hierarchy appear incapable of making. Many bishops have already gone further than the pope has in calling for reporting abuse to the authorities, removing priests and lifting the cloak of secrecy on the church's past handling of cases and claims. If the more progressive elements of the bishops' conference prevail in Dallas, they can go a long way in bringing about the forgiveness and healing that both the church leadership and the faithful desperately want and need.

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