Sex abuse policy ignored

LINCOLN, Neb. — At a time when Roman Catholic bishops are submitting their dioceses to unprecedented scrutiny because of the clerical sex abuse crisis, the leader of about 90,000 faithful in Nebraska is among the hierarchy's few public dissenters.

Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz of Lincoln won't require background checks of all current employees and volunteers who have regular contact with children. Nor will Bishop Bruskewitz let his diocese participate in a study designed to tally every priestly abuse case in the country since 1950.

For these actions, Bishop Bruskewitz's diocese was recently declared out of compliance with the toughened sex abuse policy that American bishops approved overwhelmingly in 2002.

"Every diocesan bishop does not have to follow the (new abuse policy) to be in compliance with what the church is asking," said the Rev. Mark Huber, a spokesman for the bishop.

Huber was noting that the Vatican approved the bishops' new plan for handling abuse accusations against priests, making it church law for the United States. But Rome didn't act on other sections of the bishops' policy, such as conducting background checks or researching abuse.

So, even though nearly all the other dioceses are following the policy, there's nothing forcing Bishop Bruskewitz to do likewise.

Bishop Bruskewitz, 68, declined to be interviewed. But in a statement explaining his reasons for not participating in the church abuse study, the bishop said it was likely to be slanderous.

Also, he said, "the reporting of the study does not promise to place into context the number of priests who did not commit sexual abuse of minors."

The first public rumblings of Bishop Bruskewitz's refusal to cooperate with the national bishops' group came on Jan. 6.

An internal church audit, overseen by the bishops' new Office of Child and Youth Protection, showed the Lincoln Diocese was among only 10 percent of the country's 195 dioceses that had not fully complied with the bishops' recommendations.

The audit faulted the diocese for failing to conduct background checks on all employees and for not cooperating with the sex abuse study.

The audit also suggested that the diocese provide more guidance to its sexual abuse review board, and involve the board at the initial stages after a molestation claim is received.