Pope speaks out against sexual abuse: a sin and a crime

VATICAN CITY -- Pope John Paul II told American church leaders Tuesday that there was no place in the priesthood "for those who would harm the young," saying sex abuse by priests in the United States was both a sin and a crime.\nThe cardinal of Los Angeles said the pontiff had taken a strong step in favor of "zero-tolerance" for abusive priests. But he and other Americans at the meeting said there was no discussion of the possible resignation of Boston's Cardinal Bernard Law, accused of mishandling sex abuse cases.\nAddressing U.S. cardinals and bishops at the start of an extraordinary two-day meeting, John Paul made his toughest statement since allegations of sex abuse by priests began pouring out in January, shaking the Roman Catholic Church in the United States.\n"The abuse which has caused this crisis is by every standard wrong and rightly considered a crime by society; it is also an appalling sin in the eyes of God," the pontiff said. "To the victims and their families, wherever they may be, I express my profound sense of solidarity and concern."\nWhile in the past the church has been accused of sheltering priests accused of abuse, the pope's remarks appeared to indicate that the church would put up no impediments to cooperation with authorities investigating crimes.\n"People need to know that there is no place in the priesthood and religious life for those who would harm the young," he said, according to the official English text of the speech released by the Vatican.\nCardinal Francis George of Chicago said the subject of Law's possible resignation was not raised in Tuesday's session or in a private meeting of the prelates the night before.\nBut Law admitted to the group that "if he hadn't made some terrible mistakes, we probably all wouldn't be here," George said.\nLaw is under pressure over his handling of abuse cases -- especially those of two known abusers in the Boston archdiocese who were moved from parish to parish. After a secret visit to the Vatican, he said last week that he would not resign.\nDetroit Cardinal Adam Maida joined Cardinal Theodore McCarrick of Washington in stating that Law should stay on. "He has been such a great influence on our own conference of bishops in the United States and the world," Maida told The Associated Press.\nTwelve cardinals and two bishops from the United States met with Vatican officials in Rome to find ways to stem the scandal that has shaken the confidence of the faithful, led to the resignation of one bishop, and cost the church millions of dollars in legal settlements. Church officials have been accused of covering up misconduct by priests, in some cases by moving known abusers from job to job.\nOutside the United States, sex scandals have cropped up in other countries in recent years, including Austria, Ireland, France and Australia and the pope's native Poland.\nCardinal Roger Mahony of Los Angeles said the Americans would meet Tuesday night and work out a list of formal proposals for the U.S. church that should lead to a specific communique at the end of the meeting. One cardinal has proposed creating a nationwide panel of prominent Catholic laymen and women "make sure we have the best possible standards," Mahony said.\nMahony said the pope made "the strongest language I've seen about what we call at home 'zero tolerance'" for abusive priests. The pope "made it very clear that there is no place in the priesthood for anyone who abuses minors," he told the AP.\nBut Chicago's George said the issue wasn't entirely clear because the pope spoke of the possibility of "Christian conversion, that radical decision to turn away from sin and back to God."\nMaida said that while in the past sexual abuse was seen as a sin, "today we view it as a crime." He said reports of abuse in his archdiocese were taken to civil authorities for investigation. "That's the way to handle it," he said.\n"We need to root out the priest or other people who would take advantage of our young people," he told CNN.\nAt the meeting, the American prelates and Vatican officials sat at a conference table in the frescoed Sala Bologna, each speaking for about 15 minutes, participants reported. The pope and most of the Vatican officials spoke in English, said Baltimore Cardinal William Keeler.\nJohn Paul acknowledged the extent to which the scandal has hurt the American church. "Many are offended at the way in which the church's leaders are perceived to have acted in this matter," he said.