Washington ? American priests maintain high morale and enjoy the appreciation of parishioners despite the molestation of minors perpetrated by a few among their ranks, the president of the nation’s Roman Catholic bishops said Monday.

In a speech defending the clergy, Bishop William Skylstad of Spokane, Wash., told a meeting of the nation’s bishops that three recent studies show “the high level of morale among priests” despite the sex abuse crisis and the pressures caused by a declining vocations.

“It has been a painful time for the vast majority of priests who did nothing to deserve (the) pain” caused by abuses crisis or the resulting “avalanche of negative publicity,” Skylstad said.

He added that bishops are “required by law and in conscience to respond and take necessary action where abuse is admitted or established” but “the presumption of innocence follows priests until the facts of the case indicate otherwise.”