Opinion: A meaningful start

The Roman Catholic Church has begun to deal in meaningful ways with sexual abuse by its clergy. In the past few weeks, the church appointed new bishops in Palm Beach and Milwaukee. Two priests in Washington, D.C., lost their jobs and four priests who once served in Detroit were charged with sex crimes. America's bishops promised a tough response at their spring convention in Dallas, and the early signs are encouraging that a new attitude is taking root in some of the nation's largest Catholic dioceses.

Bishop Sean Patrick O'Malley, named by Pope John Paul II to take over the Palm Beach diocese, is widely hailed for his no-nonsense approach to sexually abusive priests. After a scandal in Fall River, Mass., in the 1990s, O'Malley got ahead of the curve on a scandal that would soon engulf the U.S. church. He established what was a model at the time for handling sex abuse allegations, requiring that complaints be reported to the police and taking steps to protect victims from intimidation. His selection for Palm Beach, where abuse scandals drove two previous bishops from office, is seen by many victims as a sign the church is committed to act.

It should be. The scope and severity of the sex abuse demand a serious response. The mixed message the bishops initially sent about their commitment to clean house added to the need for a strong policy to oust abusers. At least 300 priests have resigned or been suspended since the scandal broke nationwide in January. More dioceses are reporting allegations directly to police. Bishops are being held accountable, and many are breaking down institutional walls that drove victims into silence.

Of course, removing past offenders is not the best measure that a church is moving forward. Of the two dozen or more priests removed since June, when the bishops adopted their policy, at least five have filed appeals. The strength of the church's commitment will be seen in the way diocesan disciplinary boards handle abuse complaints. Priests are entitled to due process and a uniform national standard of acceptable behavior. Anything less will smack of opportunism by a politically (and financially) anxious church.

We also need to see how far the curia in Rome intends to go with the reforms by the American church. John Paul's comments recently to visiting Brazilian bishops that men with "obvious" deviations should be barred as priests is a sign the Vatican will pay more attention to the issue of maturity in seminary training.

Still, in only three months, the church has made a definable start. The public needed to see the church open up abuse allegations and involve the laity more in decisionmaking at the diocesan level. Once the church in Boston and elsewhere settles the more egregious abuse cases, American Catholics can move on a broader front with the Dallas plan to restore public faith in the church.

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