Diocese's goal is to prevent sexual abuse

To the editor:

Recent news of the Massachusetts attorney general regarding sexual abuse of minors by clergy in the archdiocese of Boston brings several thoughts to mind.

The attorney general's report covered the past 60 years and highlighted the culpability of Cardinal Bernard Law, our former bishop in southern Missouri, who was Boston's archbishop for the past 18 of those 60 years. Law clearly was wrong in his judgments about what needed to be done with abusive clergy. He seriously misunderstood the terrible harm such abuse inflicts on its young victims. These conclusions are shared by the cardinal and are not those only of others.

As errant as the cardinal was in this tragic matter, those acquainted with him know that this one issue does not sum up the man. It would be unfair to ignore or deny his accomplishments or to permit the sexual abuse scandal in Boston to cast a shadow over them.

Like all Catholic dioceses in the United States, the diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau has updated its sexual misconduct policy in accord with the charter and norms the U.S. Bishops promulgated following their June 2002 national assembly. One norm states that all accusations of sexual abuse of minors will be reported to civil authorities. All clergy, diocesan employees and volunteers who work with youths will attend educational sessions this fall on preventing sexual abuse.

The commitment of the diocese is to do everything humanly possible to achieve the goal of prevention.

The Most Rev. JOHN J. LEIBRECHT

Bishop of Springfield-Cape Girardeau

Springfield, Mo.