US bishops plea for the continuation of vigilance in field of child protection

A report on the abuse by clergy of hundreds of Pennsylvania children over several decades and the best picture Oscar win for Spotlight have “brought painful, but important, reminders that we must remain vigilant in our efforts to protect children from the scourge of abuse”, the head of the US bishops’ child protection agency has said.

Juneau, Alaska’s Bishop Edward Burns, chairman of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on the Protection of Children and Young People, spoke against the background of a grand jury report into abuse in the Pennsylvania diocese of Altoona-Johnstown. The report found at least 50 priests or religious leaders in the diocese had been involved in abuse, with diocesan leaders having systematically concealed the abuse and police perhaps been guilty of “looking the other way”.

http://irishcatholic.ie/article/us-bishops-plea-continuation-vigilance-field-child-protection