Clergy sex abuse:
Has National Review Board
become irrelevant?
The 2005 audit results from the Office of Child and Youth Protection (OCYP), approved by the National Review Board, were released March 30. Despite the recent embarrassing performance by Cardinal George in Chicago and his failure to abide by his own review panel’s recommendation to remove a priest accused of numerous acts of criminal sexual abuse, the Chicago diocese was found to be in full compliance with the Dallas Charter. There was no explanation how this result was possible given the facts.
The auditing group did urge an end to self-reporting audits. The National
Review Board declared it was time to audit the effectiveness of the policies
and programs adopted. (Could Chicago have sparked that suggestion?)
As usual, Bishop Bruskewitz of Lincoln, Neb., refused to cooperate with the
audit process at all. The National Review Board urged severe fraternal correction
— again.
Maybe it’s time to ask whether the Dallas Charter has any real value. Given their muted response to the goings on in Chicago, have the National Review Board and the OCYP become irrelevant?