Most Priests Say Bishops Mishandled Abuse Issue

The findings of the poll, the most extensive nationwide opinion survey of American priests since 1994, point to a pervasive and deep-seated anger among many priests. Many are upset at the nation's bishops. They are also, in many cases, angry at the news media.

In written comments that many priests submitted with the poll responses, they said bishops delayed dealing with the crisis in the first place, then compounded the problem by adopting a "zero-tolerance" policy, the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, that denies accused clerics their rights to due process.

But the poll also found a bedrock of faith among priests, happiness in their chosen vocation and a belief that the church will come out of the crisis stronger.

Nonetheless, in their comments on the sexual abuse policy, which the U.S. bishops approved in June, priests expressed many of the same objections raised by Vatican officials. On Friday the Vatican released a letter to the U.S. bishops saying some aspects of the policy conflict with church law and need to be changed.

Seventy-five percent of poll respondents said the charter has done a "good" or "excellent" job of protecting minors from sexual abuse by priests.

"Probably at this point the safest place for any kid to be is in the church," said Father Frank Jasper, a Franciscan priest and psychotherapist in Indianapolis who agreed to a follow-up interview.

Fifty-five percent said the charter would restore confidence in the church.

But only 34% rated the charter's fairness to priests accused of abuse as "good" or "excellent," with 45% calling it "fair" or "poor" in that regard.

Like many other priests, Jasper, 56, who has been ordained for 29 years, said the charter was hastily put together under intense media pressure and undermined the due-process rights of priests guaranteed by the church's canon law.

The sexual abuse scandal has resulted in an estimated 300 priests nationwide being removed from ministry and an unprecedented official apology from the church. The furor has taken a toll on the morale of priests who have never been accused of sexual abuse, the survey found.