Bishop writes Catholics on clergy sex abuse: Apologizes, asks advice

In the letter, the Bishop:

* apologizes to victims of abuse for the suffering they have endured;

* expresses his sorrow for the mishandling of the issue by Church leaders;

* reiterates his support for the innocent priests who have been tarnished by the scandal;

* announces that the blue-ribbon panel he appointed to examine the Diocese's policy on sex abuse has completed its work and made recommendations for changes; and

* invites Catholics to send him their input on the issue of clergy sex abuse in anticipation of the June meeting of U.S. bishops in Dallas to address the topic in depth and come to a common policy.

The task force's recommendations, which were still being finalized as The Evangelist went to press this week, will be included in a revised diocesan policy. The policy is expected to be announced late this week.

The text of the revised policy will appear in the May 23 issue of The Evangelist, along with the text of the Bishop's letter, and other material related to the subject of clergy sexual abuse of children and the Church's response to it.

(The Evangelist will post the revised abuse policy on its website, www.evangelist.org, as soon as it is available. The text of the Bishop's letter will appear there on Monday, May 20.)

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