The Vatican has rejected a policy proposed by Roman Catholic bishops in the United States for dealing with cases of child sexual abuse. The Holy See said in a response to a US request for formal approval of the rules that the plans were vague and "could be a source of confusion and ambiguity". The response, which was signed by the head of the Congregation of Bishops, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, also proposed the creation of a joint US-Vatican commission to revise the proposals. However, victims' groups have accused the Vatican of being more concerned about protecting offending priests than minors.