After months of scandal in Europe and years after the problems spread across this country, Pope Benedict issued a new set of guidelines this week, hoping to deal with the sexual abuse crisis among the clergy.
Critics are already lashing out. The new policies speed up the process of removing abusive priests from the clergy, as well as extending the limits for reporting allegations to church authorities.
Groups like the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, also known as SNAP, complained the Pope's guidelines still come up short.
"He hasn't said that they should automatically report it to law enforcement," said Spokeswoman Judy Jones. "Who are these guidelines helping?"
Youngstown City Prosecutor Jay Macejko called the new policies a step in the right direction, yet he admits they won't give authorities any more power to go after abusive priests.
"This has no impact on the state's ability to prosecute these types of cases," Macejko said.
Although the statute for more serious crimes of rape and sexual battery can go back 20 years, other cases can only go back six years based on when the allegations took place, not when they might have been reported. Jones said state lawmakers need to update those limitations, but she also encourages victims to take their allegations to the proper authorities.
"Don't go to the Diocese," she said.
Youngstown Bishop George Murry said he hasn't had a chance to review the Vatican's new guidelines and is not able to talk about them.
The most recent allegations of priest abuse locally involved Father Thomas Crum, reportedly in the 1970s when he was a teacher at Cardinal Mooney High School. Those allegations surfaced a year ago.
While the criminal investigation into that case has been closed by prosecutors, the Bishop was informed this week the Vatican has officially removed Crum from the priesthood.
