Chicago Diocese Policy Addresses Priest Sex Abuse
With allegations of clergy sexual abuse rising, the nation’s second-largest Catholic archdiocese on Monday announced a toll-free hot line and an independent board to investigate priests accused of molesting children.
The policy established by the Archdiocese of Chicago may be the most comprehensive ever developed by any of the 188 U.S. Catholic dioceses, Cardinal Joseph Bernardin said at a news conference.
The policy goes beyond legal requirements and exceeds recommendations made in June by a panel that analyzed 59 allegations of sexual misconduct reported in the archdiocese since 1963, Bernardin said.
The hot line will handle complaints, and all allegations will be reported to the state agency that handles child-abuse cases, Bernardin said.
A nine-member board of six lay people, including a former abuse victim who is now an attorney, and three priests will review all complaints and determine accused priests’ fitness to serve, Bernardin said.
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