Report on implementation of Catholic child protection charter, SNAP responds
There are helpful numbers and misleading numbers. These are misleading numbers.
The sad, simple truth is that it has always taken child sex abuse victims decades to speak up, and that is not likely to change. (When was the last time you heard about a six year old walking to the DA's office to report that her teacher is molesting her?) Catholic officials know this. Yet they disingenuously put out this self survey - of the very bishops who have concealed and enabled hundreds of thousands of heinous child sex crimse by thousands of priests - knowing it will be good public relations for them, but will recklessly lead to increased complacency by the very people who should be vigilant.
This is little more than a self congratulatory public relations effort.
And we're troubled by this revelation on page 14 from the report of the implementation of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People:
"The most common scope limitation encountered in the Charter audit process was the unwillingness of most dioceses and eparchies to allow us to conduct parish audits during their onsite audits."
To read the report: http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/child-and-youth-protection/upload/annual-report-on-the-implementation-of-the-charter-for-the-protection-of-children-and-young-people-2012.pdf