Atlanta

Syphilis cases increase

The number of new syphilis cases in the United States rose in 2001 for the first time in 11 years, with large increases among gay men outpacing continued declines among blacks and Southerners, federal health officials said Thursday.

California was among the hardest hit states last year, with 547 syphilis cases, an increase of more than two-thirds from 2000. The vast majority of those infections were among gay and bisexual men, most of whom were also HIV-positive, according to data from the California Department of Health Services.

Nationwide, the overall increase, albeit slight, represents a setback for a 4-year-old nationwide effort to eliminate syphilis by 2005. Until last year, the goal of having fewer than 1,000 new cases annually appeared to be on track, health experts said, but now the effort seems to be faltering.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the number of cases among men increased 17.3 percent, while the number of female infections dropped 19.6 percent.

Chicago

Panel reinstates statute of limitations on abuse

A joint commission of U.S. bishops and senior Vatican officials has decided to re-impose a 10-year statute of limitations on the Roman Catholic Church’s internal disciplining of American priests accused of sexually abusing children, Cardinal Francis George said Thursday.

The decision appears to be a retreat by the American bishops from a key part of the zero tolerance policy adopted by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops four months ago in Dallas in response to the nationwide scandal over priestly sexual abuse. That policy called for the permanent removal from ministry of any Catholic clergyman who has ever sexually abused a minor, no matter how long ago.

In addition, the joint commission tightened the definition of abuse in the Dallas policy and decided that accused priests could not be permanently removed from ministerial duties unless convicted by a church tribunal, George said.

The revisions to the Dallas policy will be presented to the full body of U.S. bishops at a Nov. 11-14 meeting in Washington, where the church leaders may debate and vote on them.