AUSTRALIA
ABC News
An Australian bishop has called on Pope Francis to request the resignation of every bishop who has failed to properly address cases of child sexual abuse.
Roman Catholic Bishop Geoffrey Robinson said there needed to be “death and resurrection” in the church this Easter to restore trust and credibility.
“Every bishop who has ever been responsible for the abuse of a child, because he did not do what he should have done, should be asked to resign,” Bishop Robinson, now retired, said in an interview with ABC Radio religion specialist Noel Debien.
His suggestion would mean the resignation of hundreds of bishops worldwide.
“The church has lost almost all credibility,” he said.
“It has got to be seen to be confronting anything and everything which has contributed.”
Bishop Robinson also said the church must “get rid of obligatory celibacy” and called for a shift in the role of women in the church.
“Women must be brought into every level of the church in a far, far greater way than they are,” he said.
He also said Catholic teaching on sexuality must be “looked at again from the beginning” — including homosexuality.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.