At Pope Benedict XVI's direction, the Vatican has asked every national bishop's conference around the world to prepare guidelines, appropriate to their local circumstances, to apply Church norms on clerical abuse of minors. The deadline for the guidelines is May 31, 2012. CNS reports: In a letter dated May 3 and released by the Vatican May 16, U.S. Cardinal William J. Levada, [doctrinal] congregation prefect, said that in every nation and region, bishops should have "clear and coordinated procedures" for protecting children, assisting victims of abuse, dealing with accused priests, training clergy and cooperating with civil authorities. Describing sexual abuse of minors as "a crime prosecuted by civil law," the doctrinal congregation said bishops should follow local laws that require reporting cases of sexual abuse to police. Since the early 1990s about two dozen bishops' conferences, starting mainly with English-speaking countries, have drawn up guidelines for dealing with accusations of sexual ab ...