Vatican Rejects Parts Of Sex Abuse Policy

VATICAN CITY -- The Vatican has rejected parts of the sex abuse policy passed by U.S bishops this summer, according to sources familiar with the response.

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NewsCenter 5's Amalia Barreda reported that the official response will come Friday, but a report from Catholic World News citing Vatican sources said that the Vatican would reject the plan because it would violate the rights of accused priests.

"My sources have been telling me consistently for 10 weeks that the answer would be no," Catholic World News editor Philip Lawler said. "Now, how the no is packaged is still very much up for grabs, and I think that tomorrow's announcement probably will show the Vatican congratulating American bishops for their effort but still saying there are aspects of the policy that are unacceptable."

U.S. bishops drafted the plan in June at their annual meeting in Dallas. The plan calls for the immediate removal of a priest accused of sexual misconduct, pending an investigation.

The pope will reportedly call for the formation of a joint commission composed of Vatican officials and American bishops to address and correct the perceived flaws in the policy.

"What the Vatican is really worried about is the sort of problem that's now emerged around here, which is priests who are concerned about due process," Lawler said. "They don't see a proper investigation, so they're suspended. They're left in limbo. And they're understandably very angry about this situation."

Lawler said that he sees the rejection as a blow to the credibility of U.S. bishops.

"In part because it's their policy which the Vatican is now saying is imprudent, in part because they've been very aggressive in the last few weeks trying to convince people that there would be an approval, which is now not forthcoming," Lawler said.

There was no comment from the Archdiocese of Boston.