For thousands of years the Catholic Church has stood as a beacon of peaceful leadership for the world to follow. Catholics around the world have viewed church officials such as priests and bishops as bringers of spiritual guidance and forgiveness. Within the past several months, it has come to the attention of the world that many priests have been abusing their powers for as many as thirty years. Hundreds of cases of sexual misconduct towards minors by the hands of priests have surfaced throughout the US resulting in a decrease of faith in the Catholic Church worldwide. Catholics have begun to question the nobility of the church and its ability to live its teachings. Within the US, bishops called an immediate session to decide upon a solution to the new problem they are faced with. Neglect of a problem that has been occurring in some cases for thirty years sent the bishops in motion to solve the problem once and for all. Within the emergency session that was held within Dallas the bishops constructed a testament to put an end to future mishaps with patrons of the church. The "Dallas Charter" is the document purged among the church officials to restore faith in the Catholic Church and the way that it corrects its mistakes. It presents a clear solution to the church sex scandal by enforcing the release of any convicted offender from the priesthood, recognizing the proper protocol for the priests and restoring faith in the church's ability to correct problems.
Before the Dallas Charter could be enforced, it has to be approved by the Vatican City, the capital city for the Catholic Church. When the Dallas Charter was presented to the Vatican the pope turned away the proposed solution due to many flaws within the construction of the document. The paternal relationship between the Vatican and the US seemed to play a strong factor in the decisions made. Although the Charter included all necessary parts for functionality, the Vatican did not want to outright accept it.