Boston College is approaching the Catholic Church’s recent problems in the right way — confronting them head on, with open exploration and candid discussion of the serious sexual abuses which have confronted Church clergy over the past year, especially in the Boston area.

The two-year undertaking, entitled “The Church in the 21st Century Project,” will include lectures, seminars and discussions both on and off the Boston College campus. The project will be headed up by new Special Assistant to the President Robert Newton, who will work with a student advisory board comprised of students, faculty and administrators.

BC President Friar William Leahy, S.J. should be commended for his interest in the program and commitment to researching and exposing the church’s ills. The college, the top Jesuit institution in the Boston area and arguably one of the top Catholic universities in the country, is courageous to take on an issue as sensitive as sexual abuse in such a responsible and forward thinking manner.

Many Catholic Church leaders, including Boston’s Bernard Cardinal Law, have only obfuscated their responsibilities as examples to a major religious community. They have downplayed their legitimate wrongdoing and attempted to lessen what seems to be a major organizational problem, an approach which has only worsened the Church’s perception in the media and general public. BC’s approach is far superior to that of many other major players in the Church.

The project will also seek a larger discussion among Catholics of all ages, which is encouraging. Dialogue about sexual abuse should not be limited to this generation of Church leaders — it should rightly include members and non-members of the Church from all generations. Sexual abuse is and has been a pervasive problem in many different organizations and should be explored fully among people of all faiths.

BC should work to widely disseminate the findings of its two-year exploration and make it known to the rest of the Catholic world. They have set a great example for the rest of the Church and should share what will likely prove to be a revealing academic exploration.