A Church Plan On Sex Abuse

The nation's Roman Catholic bishops last week adopted a new policy for handling priests accused of sexual abuse. The plan amends the one adopted by the bishops in June but rejected by the Vatican out of concern that it denied clerics due process. How does the new plan work once it gets the expected Vatican approval? A Notebook primer:

What happens when a priest is accused of sexual abuse?

A board composed mostly of lay Catholics and at least one priest advises the bishop privately if there is "sufficient evidence" of abuse. If there is, the priest is temporarily removed...

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