BOB ABERNETHY, anchor: The Vatican and the U.S. Roman Catholic bishops this week named the eight members of a new joint commission that will be working to revise the American sex abuse policy adopted in June. Last week, Vatican officials said they could not yet approve the policy because it appeared to conflict with the Church's universal law. The four U.S. commission members are Cardinal Francis George of Chicago; Archbishop William Levada of San Francisco; Bishop Thomas Doran of Rockford, Illinois; and Bishop William Lori of Bridgeport, Connecticut. The other four members are representatives of Vatican agencies. The commission's daunting task is to achieve acceptable balance between major conflicting interests -- preventing future abuses without ignoring the civil rights of priests; respecting the different perspectives of Rome, the U.S. Bishops, and much of the U.S. laity -- and doing all this in ways that conform to Church canon law. Kim Lawton has our special report.

KIM LAWTON: At Catholic University in Washington, D.C., men and women study canon law -- the legal code that governs virtually every area of Roman Catholic Church life worldwide.

Experts here agree with the Vatican that certain parts of the U.S. Bishops' new policy on priestly sex abuse conflict with canon law.

Rev. JOHN BEAL (Associate Professor of Canon Law, Catholic University): The pendulum at one time was way over here in dismissing the complaints of victims and their families. I think in reacting, we have swung over this way in a rather high-handed way of dealing with priests who have only been accused at this point.

LAWTON: Vatican officials have three main objections to the charter adopted by the bishops in June. They think that definitions, including what actually constitutes sexual abuse, are too vague. They are also worried about the role and authority of the lay review boards that are working with bishops at the national and local level. And they're concerned -- perhaps most of all -- about the due process rights of accused priests.

Canon law, like western common law, says accused people should be considered innocent until their accusers have proven guilt. But under the bishops' charter, any "credible" accusation leads to the suspension of a priest -- perhaps indefinitely.

Rev. BEAL: To be judged credible, it's not clear what an accuser has to do. It is not proving beyond a reasonable doubt -- or with moral certainty, as canon law would have it -- that the offense occurred.

LAWTON: Canon law has a specific statute of limitations for sex abuse offenses. The Dallas policy has none. Under canon law, if a sanctioned priest appeals his punishment, the punishment should be suspended while the appeal is being considered. So far, that's not happening under the charter.

Some local dioceses have already generated controversy in trying to implement the charter. The Archdiocese of Baltimore, for example, drew fire for posting on the Internet the name of every priest who has been accused of sexual abuse.

Rev. BEAL: As with most legal systems, the legal system of the Church has to find a precarious balance between taking seriously claims of those who say they are victims of abuse and treating the accused fairly, as a valued member of the community.

LAWTON: Leaders of the lay advocacy group Voice of the Faithful acknowledge the importance of finding that balance.

JIM POST (President, Voice of the Faithful): Our view is that injustice to anyone is injustice to everyone. So that you don't protect survivors better, or protect children better, by taking away the rights of priests.

LAWTON: But Voice of the Faithful and other groups worry that canon law wrangling will hinder the process started in Dallas.

Mr. POST: What concerns us most of all is that this could be another tactic to slow down, a kind of foot-dragging and backsliding, and that's unacceptable to us. I think the pressure that we all feel is the need to create safe parish environments as soon as possible.

LAWTON: Many American Catholics are also troubled by the Vatican's obvious concerns about the lay review boards that have already begun advising many local bishops. The national review board has been headed by Oklahoma Governor Frank Keating, an outspoken former prosecutor.