ROME - The Vatican will make its position known next month on the new U.S. bishops' strategy to eradicate sex abuse among clergy, a policy expected to raise objections at the Holy See.
The Vatican press office said yesterday that it would not comment about a report by the National Catholic Reporter, a liberal, U.S.-based publication, that the Vatican would not grant legal approval to the guidelines, adopted in June at a Dallas meeting of U.S. bishops.
Without Rome's approval, the bishops' policy amounts to a gentlemen's agreement, as opposed to being enshrined in church law and binding on all American dioceses.
The report Saturday was similar to a recent spate of articles quoting unnamed sources as saying that the Holy See has problems with the guidelines, especially those that deal with the protection of priests who have been falsely accused of sexually abusing minors.
Yesterday, the Vatican pointed out what its spokesman, Joaquin Navarro-Valls, said last month after a similar news report.
At that time, Navarro-Valls said that the U.S. norms - the parts of the policy that could become binding under church law - were still under study and that no decision had been taken. He said then, during Pope John Paul II's visit to Poland, that the Vatican would give its response soon to U.S. bishops.
Vatican officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, have said that the Holy See's response would come next month.
In preparing the response, the Vatican has been sounding out its canon law experts and officials from several Vatican congregations dealing with bishops, clergy and matters of doctrinal orthodoxy.
After months of scandals revealing that, over the past decades, many U.S. priests who were accused of sexual abuse were moved from parish to parish, the American bishops came up with a policy to keep molesters away from parishioners.
But some at the Vatican are concerned that bishops, eager to show their flock that they are vigilant, will take innocent priests away from parish work.
And there is worry that U.S. churchmen might act hastily in handling cases of accusations.
The Vatican also has tribunals, with specific and often slow-moving procedures.
The Vatican press office said yesterday that it would not comment about a report by the National Catholic Reporter, a liberal, U.S.-based publication, that the Vatican would not grant legal approval to the guidelines, adopted in June at a Dallas meeting of U.S. bishops.
Without Rome's approval, the bishops' policy amounts to a gentlemen's agreement, as opposed to being enshrined in church law and binding on all American dioceses.
The report Saturday was similar to a recent spate of articles quoting unnamed sources as saying that the Holy See has problems with the guidelines, especially those that deal with the protection of priests who have been falsely accused of sexually abusing minors.
Yesterday, the Vatican pointed out what its spokesman, Joaquin Navarro-Valls, said last month after a similar news report.
At that time, Navarro-Valls said that the U.S. norms - the parts of the policy that could become binding under church law - were still under study and that no decision had been taken. He said then, during Pope John Paul II's visit to Poland, that the Vatican would give its response soon to U.S. bishops.
Vatican officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, have said that the Holy See's response would come next month.
In preparing the response, the Vatican has been sounding out its canon law experts and officials from several Vatican congregations dealing with bishops, clergy and matters of doctrinal orthodoxy.
After months of scandals revealing that, over the past decades, many U.S. priests who were accused of sexual abuse were moved from parish to parish, the American bishops came up with a policy to keep molesters away from parishioners.
But some at the Vatican are concerned that bishops, eager to show their flock that they are vigilant, will take innocent priests away from parish work.
And there is worry that U.S. churchmen might act hastily in handling cases of accusations.
The Vatican also has tribunals, with specific and often slow-moving procedures.