Vatican official says U.S. abuse norms are fair and workable

The U.S. norms for dealing with priests accused of sexual abuse--in tandem with the Vatican's more universal rules--are proving fair and workable, said Msgr. Charles Scicluna, a Vatican doctrinal official who deals directly with many of the cases. The norms were worked out between U.S. bishops and Vatican officials in a highly publicized series of meetings in 2002.

They give bishops a number of options for dealing with accused priests, with the Vatican retaining oversight and final decision-making authority in most cases. The system is necessarily complex and deliberate, but it is working, he said. Some priests have been permanently ...