Catholic bishops’ anti-abuse hotline will be ready in February

The system would allow people to report accusations of sexual misconduct against the U.S. bishops

A national hotline for reporting incidents of sexual abuse committed by U.S. Catholic bishops will be up and running in February, three months ahead of schedule, according to an Associated Press report.

Anthony Picarello, general counsel for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, announced that the hotline will be operating in all of the countries dioceses, according to the report.

In June the bishops approved a measure to establish a reporting system for accusations against the bishops themselves.

After accepting bids from three companies, the bishops signed a contract with Convercent, a Denver-based company specializing in corporate ethics and compliance, reported AP.

The hotline should be operating by the end of February, three months before the May 31 deadline the Vatican set for new anti-abuse measures affecting bishops.

For victims of sexual abuse by a priest or deacon, the USCCB website recommends the following courses of action:

• File a report with the appropriate law enforcement agency
• Contact child protection services, a lawyer or a support group
• Contact the Catholic Church’s local victim assistance coordinator (listed here).