How can the lay Catholic person have any confidence in that?" The lay review boards were adopted in June 2002.
The cardinal, like bishops around the nation, has established a lay review board to evaluate accusations against priests.
The other was an examination of the causes and context of the abuse, produced by a lay review board.
Those recommendations included creating an independent lay review board, an independent victims' advocacy office and lay teams in each parish to prevent child abuse.
Officials in several dioceses said they were preparing to appoint their lay committees, which church officials often call lay review boards.
Cardinal Egan said that once prosecutors review the cases, the archdiocese's lay review board will help him decide each priest's fate.
After local prosecutors opted not to charge 12 of the priests -- one is still under review -- a lay review board appointed by Cardinal Egan took up their cases.
The letter also holds that lay review boards set up to monitor the church's safeguarding of minors "cannot substitute" the decisions and powers of bishops.
An article on June 20 reported an agreement between Roman Catholic bishops and their lay review board over the methodology of a survey on sexual abuse by priests.
They are supposed to consult with lay review boards on how to deal with individual offenders, and must report allegations of abuse to the secular authorities.
