Poll: Handling of scandal dismays priests

Two-thirds of Roman Catholic priests in the United States disapprove of the way U.S. bishops have handled sexual-abuse allegations against some members of the clergy, a nationwide Los Angeles Times poll of priests has found.

The findings of the poll, which was the most extensive nationwide opinion survey of American priests since 1994, point to a pervasive and deep-seated anger among many priests. Many priests are upset at the nation's bishops. They also are angry, in many cases, at the news media.

In written comments submitted with their poll responses, many priests expressed the view that the bishops delayed dealing with the crisis and then compounded the problem by adopting a "zero tolerance" policy, the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, that denies accused clerics their rights to due process.

In their comments on the policy, approved by the U.S. bishops in June in Dallas, priests expressed many of the same objections raised by Vatican officials. On Friday, the Vatican released a letter to the U.S. bishops saying some aspects of the policy conflicted with church law and would need to be changed.

Seventy-five percent of those responding to the survey said the charter did a "good" or "excellent" job in protecting minors from sexual abuse by priests.

As for the charter's fairness to priests accused of abuse, 34 percent rated it "good" or "excellent," with 45 percent calling it "fair" or "poor."

More than three out of five of the priests surveyed said they believed most or many of the allegations of sexual abuse of minors by priests were true. More than half, 53 percent, said they thought the church had been too lenient in disciplining priests accused of misconduct.

Yet in addition to disappointment with the bishops, many priests expressed anger about the news media's coverage of the alleged abuses. Seventy-three percent of priests responding to the survey said the news media had been "negative" in their treatment of the church.

Many said they were outraged by the publication of unproven allegations, particularly in cases involving alleged molestations that occurred decades ago and in which there had been no indication of further offenses.

The latest poll surveyed 1,854 priests nationwide and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

Fewer people fly for short trips

WASHINGTON -- Security checks, random searches, new airline ticket fees and other hassles since the Sept. 11 attacks have kept many people off planes and on the road, particularly for short trips.

The number of people flying commercially between 200 miles and 400 miles dropped 22 percent in the year after the attacks, according to a survey by D.K. Shifflet & Associates Ltd. in Falls Church, Va.

"It's just easier to get into your car and go," said chief executive Doug Shifflet, whose agency surveys 45,000 households each month to assess their travel patterns.

The air travel industry has yet to fully recover from the attacks. From January to September of this year, the major carriers had 397.4-million passengers, 8.3 percent fewer than the 433.3-million reported during the same nine-month period a year earlier. The industry also has cut 80,000 jobs.

While some of the drop in passengers is due to fear, experts say many others are choosing ground transportation over planes to avoid airport hassles.

A 250-mile trip over interstate highways takes about 41/2 hours by car. A plane makes the trip in under an hour. But if a passenger has a 30-minute ride to and from the airports and must arrive two hours early, the time savings is minimal.

'Constitution' to stay open

BOSTON -- The Navy and the National Park Service ended a squabble Sunday over security costs, reaching an agreement to keep the USS Constitution from closing its gangway to the public.

The historic warship, the oldest afloat in the world, closed for two months after last year's terror attacks and reopened with more security. The cost rose from $757,000 annually to about $2-million, plus an additional $670,000 for better lighting, surveillance and barriers.

But the two sides had not agreed on how to split the new, higher bill.

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