NRB & Bishops reach a "Deal"?

The committee of U.S. Roman Catholic bishops that deals with sexual abuse reached an accord in Chicago Monday with a lay watchdog panel that monitors church reform policies, but details were not announced.

Sister Mary Ann Walsh, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said in a telephone interview that the bishops' Ad Hoc Committee on Sexual Abuse and the lay National Review Board ``came together on a proposal'' and both sides are ``very pleased with it.''

Illinois Appellate Justice Anne Burke of Chicago, interim chair of the review board, said the agreement ``is in compliance with the charter'' the bishops issued to deal with the abuse scandal in 2002, but she, too, said no details will be released till the full body of bishops meets in Denver next month.

An angry dispute between the review board and certain bishops has threatened to disrupt reform policies. The review board insists that the 2002 charter requires audits of compliance in every U.S. diocese each year, but some bishops opposed audits in 2004 in order to discuss the whole procedure.

Once again, it is better that I not comment on this if I cannot be charitable. One must wonder why there was so much whining the past few days from Anne Burke if something was being worked on?

Article here.