Bill Press is a syndicated columnist, CNN political commentator and author of the newly-published book Spin This!

Bill Press: Molest one child and you're still on the job

WASHINGTON (Tribune Media Services) -- Let's start with the positive. American bishops have put forth a surprisingly strong plan to deal with the sexual abuse scandal that has driven over 100 priests out of their jobs since January.

One week before leaders of the American Catholic Church meet in Dallas, a committee of bishops released a draft set of recommendations, called "Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People." It's a long way from the day when some bishops denied there was a widespread problem, others blamed it all on the media, conservative Catholics blamed it on gays and Boston's Cardinal Law blamed it on the victims and their parents.

At least the church is no longer in denial. It acknowledges the problem. It's beginning to deal with it. And it lays down some tough new rules.

In the future, propose the bishops, every priest accused of sexual abuse will immediately be reported to law enforcement authorities. Any priest found guilty will be tossed out of the priesthood. To handle allegations of sexual misconduct, each diocese will appoint a review board, consisting primarily of lay people and including at least one expert on child sexual abuse. In addition, the bishops call for defrocking any priest who has a history of serial sexual abuse or been diagnosed a pedophile.

That's more than a good start. That's a very bold start. And remarkable progress for an institution that, historically, moves slower than molasses.

These recommendations must first be adopted by the full assembly of church powers, meeting next week. They will then be submitted to the Vatican for approval. After which, they will be mandatory policy for all dioceses in the country.

The only problem is, the bishops' plan, as presented, does not go far enough. It leaves two big holes that must be filled before Catholics, or the public at large, can ever be confident that this scandal is history.

First, while taking action to remove sexual offenders from the priesthood, the bishops recommend no action against those who covered up their crimes. Why not?

That's as big a scandal as the sexual abuse itself. There's only one word to describe bishops who knew that priests were guilty of preying on young boys, yet failed to report their crimes to authorities and, instead, merely relocated them to another parish: accomplices.

In Boston alone, records have now been released of 11 priests who were reported to the archdiocese for crimes of sexual abuse — and were either transferred to other states or allowed to return to their parishes, without anyone being warned of their history. One molester, Rev. Joseph E. Birmingham, was simply allowed to tell his parishioners he had been "working too hard" and "needed a rest." All of those cases happened under the tenure of Cardinal Bernard Law.

There is no justification for allowing Cardinal Law, and other ecclesiastical cover-up artists like him, to remain on the job. If the priests were serial molesters, the bishops and cardinals were serial liars. They are equally guilty. They should be equally punished — by the church and by the law.

The plan's other big problem is that it provides a big escape hatch for priests found guilty of only one past case of sexual abuse. If those men undergo treatment, fulfill any criminal penalties, are regularly supervised and have their histories fully disclosed, say the bishops, they may continue to exercise their priesthood. In other words, the church's new policy is not "One strike and you're out," as many hoped, but "One strike and you're still in the game." As long as you molested only one little child, the bishops say, you get a free pass.

How can they be so blind? Sexual abuse of a minor is not just a sin, it's a heinous crime. Even if the perpetrator served his time — even if his sin, in God's eye, is forgiven — he should no longer be permitted to remain a priest. He has forfeited that right.

In their zeal to temper justice with mercy, the bishops are asking special treatment for one-time wayward priests who don't deserve it. When it comes to child abuse, one strike is enough. No teacher guilty of just one case of sexual abuse would get a second chance. Neither would a Little League coach or Boy Scout leader. No priest should get one, either.