US Catholic Bishops Revise Child Protection Policies To Comply With Latest Vatican Standards

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops announced yesterday that at its Spring General Assembly, by a vote of 187-5, with 4 abstentions, the bishops approved revisions to its Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People.  According to the press release:

The revisions bring the Charter into line with the most recent Vatican instructions in this area, including specifically mentioning child pornography as a crime against church law and holding that abuse of someone who habitually lacks reason, for example, someone with mental retardation, is equivalent to child abuse.

According to CNN, critics say the changes do not go far enough.