Here is some information form ewtn.com:
Vatican Turns Down US Norms on Sex Abuse
VATICAN, Oct 18, 02 (CWNews.com) -- The Holy See has declined to give its approval to sex-abuse policies endorsed by the US bishops' conference. Instead the Vatican has proposed the creation of a joint commission, made up of Vatican officials and American bishops, to devise canonical guidelines that would be acceptable.
In a letter announcing the Vatican decision, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the prefect of the Congregation for Bishops, stressed that the Holy See supported the American bishops' efforts to respond to clerical sex abuse. But he said the provisions of the proposed American policy are "difficult to reconcile with the universal law of the Church."
At a Friday press conference in Rome, Bishop Wilton Gregory, the president of the US bishops' conference (USCCB), announced that he had accepted Cardinal Re's invitation to set up a joint commission. Bishop Gregory-- who had met with Pope John Paul II on Thursday to discuss the issue-- told reporters that he hoped new policy guidelines could be designed in time to be presented for approval at the next USCCB meeting in November.
The American bishops, at a June meeting in Dallas, had adopted a series of strict guidelines for dealing with priests who are charged with sexual misconduct. However, because these policies involved changes in the canon law that governs Church affairs, they required the approval-- or "recognitio"-- of the Holy See. With today's decision, the Vatican indicated that the "recognitio" would not be forthcoming until the policies were revised.
Although American bishops had long predicted that the Vatican would approve the Dallas guidelines, and some US prelates engaged in an energetic last-minute effort to sway Rome's decision, Bishop Gregory insisted that he was "not disappointed" by the Vatican decision. He insisted that the discussions between American bishops and Vatican officials had been conducted in a "climate of confidence," with an "absence of conflict."
In his letter, Cardinal Re said that sexual abuse of young people is "particularly abhorrent." He praised the US bishops for their efforts to address the scandal, and said that these efforts "should also help to preserve or restore the trust of the faithful in their pastors."
"Despite these efforts, the application of the policies adopted at the Plenary Assembly in Dallas can be the source of confusion and ambiguity," Cardinal Re continued. He cited conflicts with the established Code of Canon Law, and recommended "further reflection and revision" of the policies.
The joint committee suggested by Cardinal Re would be composed of four bishops selected by the USCCB and four Vatican officials, representing the dicasteries that have been involved in the discussion of the Dallas norms: the Congregations for Bishops, Clergy, and the Doctrine of the Faith, and the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts. Bishop Gregory acknowledged, in response to reporters' questions, that it might be difficult to reach agreement on new canonical norms before the USCCB meeting in November. But "I am a man who believes in miracles," he said. He added that he thought a speedy resolution of the issue was essential to rebuild confidence among American Catholics.
