The Report on the Implementation of the “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People” was released today by the Office of Child Youth Protection and the National Review Board of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). Commenting on it is Catholic League president William Donohue:
“Good news for the Catholic Church is bad news for its adversaries. That is why today is not a good day for those who smugly pound their chests in fits of self-righteousness every time they read something damaging to the Church. For today is the day the National Review Board gave a decided thumbs up to most dioceses. Of the 195 dioceses, an audit was completed in 191 of them, and of this number only 20 were found to be lacking in implementing necessary reforms. Now if an audit were taken of public school districts throughout the nation, it is not likely they would receive such a glowing report card.
“The Report comes at a time when alleged victims are making claims about priests that go back more than 70 years. Not only are dead priests having their reputations dragged through the mud, adult men who have had sex with priests for decades are amazingly claiming victim status. And then there are the professional victims—those whom no reforms will ever satisfy. Their latest surge of anger is grounded in their disappointment at not being consulted by the National Review Board.
“And what will Newsday and Voice of the Faithful (VOTF) do now? No bishop in the U.S. has been more unfairly maligned by his local newspaper, or by a chapter of VOTF, than Rockville Centre Bishop William F. Murphy. Yet of the eight dioceses in New York State, only three received at least one commendation, and only one—Rockville Centre—received two commendations.
“The Catholic League is delighted with the Report. We’re also delighted that those who wallow in bad news are confounded by the evidence.”
