Washington D.C., Jan 4, 2004 / 22:00 pm
The first of two reports on the state of sexual abuse in the U.S. Church will be released in Washington Tuesday. The second will be released Feb. 27.
The focus of the first report will be on how well the 195 U.S. Roman Catholic dioceses have implemented the mandatory discipline plan for sexually abusive priests, which was adopted in June 2002.
The second, more detailed report will reveal how many abuse cases the Church has faced since 1950 and how it has dealt with them, including the amount of money spent on settlements and treatment. It will also offer a preliminary analysis of the "causes and contexts" of the scandals, reported the Associated Press.
The bishops commissioned the Gavin Group, a Boston consulting firm led by former FBI official Bill Gavin, to conduct the national review as part of the new sexual-abuse policy they adopted at a meeting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in Dallas in June 2002.