Leader of bishops defends upright American priests

The budget reflects a deficit, the result of programs added to address abuse.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The president of America's Roman Catholic bishops defended American priests Monday, saying a "handful" of miscreants who sexually abused minors have forced the rest of the clergy "to endure an avalanche of negative public attention."
Bishop William Skylstad of Spokane, Wash., told a meeting of the U.S. hierarchy that despite that scandal and job pressures caused by the declining total of clerics, three recent surveys show a "high level of morale among priests."
He also said the overwhelming majority of lay parishioners "appreciate the job their priests are doing for them."
But Voice of the Faithful, an independent reform group with 30,000 lay members, criticized the bishops for lack of consultation with parishioners and inadequate outreach to abuse victims. David Clohessy, director of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, added that leaders of the national bishops' conference haven't met with abuse victims the past couple of years, though local bishops have done so.
The abuse problem gained national attention in Boston in 2002 and quickly rose to the crisis level: U.S. dioceses calculate they've paid more than $1 billion in settlements and other costs related to guilty clergy since 1950 and more than 11,500 claims of molestation have been made against American priests over that period.
Budget approval
In Monday's business session, the bishops approved a 2006 national program budget with a $1.8-million deficit to be covered by reserve funds. Much of the shortfall results from programs that the bishops added to reform abuse policies and protect children in the future.
Bishop Skylstad, whose own diocese is one of three to seek bankruptcy protection, noted the effect of the scandal upon the hierarchy: "There is no question, brothers, that these past few years have taken a great toll on us."
Bishops are "required by law and in conscience to respond and take necessary action where abuse is admitted or established" but "the presumption of innocence follows priests until the facts of the case indicate otherwise," he said.
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