Catholic bishops in the the US have, for the first time, started tracking down complaints of sexual abuse against overseas priests working in their dioceses. In a recently conducted survey by the US bishops, church officials reported that of the 21 clergy sex abuse complaints made in 2009 by minors, nine involved priests sent by overseas dioceses, the Washington Post reported.
“It started popping up, so we started to zero in on international priests. It is a murky issue, so we’re trying to do the best we can,” Mary Jane Doerr, associate director for the office of Child and Youth Protection at the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, said.
The survey is based on the statistics of one year only and does not include details about any of the cases.
Experts on screening and canon law say the church has no detailed specific standards for priest training, and it varies around the world.
The allegations against the foreign trained priests has led to a debate within the church and among advocates for victims.
The survey comes out when the US church is importing hundreds of priests and has been under intense scrutiny for its handling of sex abuse cases, including the movement of abusers from one country to another.
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