Clergy abuse

LONDON — Pope Benedict XVI expressed his "deep sorrow" to the victims of clerical sexual abuse, saying these crimes have caused immense suffering and feelings of "shame and humiliation" throughout the Church.

The pope made his remarks Sept. 18 in Westminster Cathedral, where an overflow crowd of faithful spilled out into the street for his only public Mass in London.

Most of the changes in a new Vatican document on handling sexual abuse of minors by clerics are already a part of the practice of the Holy See.

Similarly, the document codifies practices already in use on the archdiocesan level.

Deacon Phil Hengen, director of the archdiocesan Office of Child and Youth Protection, said the document clarifies a few areas of responsibilities for his office.

VATICAN CITY — The Vatican has revised its procedures for handling priestly sex abuse cases, streamlining disciplinary measures, extending the statute of limitations and defining child pornography as an act of sexual abuse of a minor.

Vatican officials said the changes allow the Church to deal with such abuse more rapidly and effectively, often through dismissal of the offending cleric from the priesthood.

VATICAN CITY — The Vatican has revised its procedures for handling priestly sex abuse cases, streamlining disciplinary measures, extending the statute of limitations and defining child pornography as an act of sexual abuse of a minor.

Vatican officials said the changes allow the Church to deal with such abuse more rapidly and effectively, often through dismissal of the offending cleric from the priesthood.

WASHINGTON — The revised norms announced at the Vatican July 15 deal only with church law and so do not address bishops' obligations to report allegations of sexual abuse of a minor to civil authorities.

However, church documents approved by the U.S. bishops and on the Vatican website already contain such an obligation.

The U.S. bishops' 2002 "Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People" states that dioceses and eparchies "are to report an allegation of sexual abuse of a person who is a minor to the public authorities."

WASHINGTON — The revised procedures governing the handling of clerical sexual abuse cases give Church officials stronger tools for aiding victims and for disciplining wayward priests, said the chairman of the U.S. bishops' Committee on the Protection of Children and Young People.

Bishop Blase J. Cupich said bishops around the world have definitive rules for handling abuse cases and other serious violations of Church law under the procedures, known as norms in Church parlance.