DALLAS (TX)
NBCDFW
August 31, 2018
By Ben Russell and Noelle Walker
Two local bishops, 21 priests have signed a petition addressed to Pope Francis
Bishop Edward Burns, of the Catholic Diocese of Dallas, is leading an almost unprecedented effort to urge Pope Francis to call for a worldwide gathering of clergy to address the ongoing child sex abuse scandal within the church.
“If the church is ever going to restore trust and credibility it would only come after consistently doing what is right and just,” Burns said during a news conference Thursday, detailing the petition signed by the two North Texas bishops and 21 priests that calls for a synod – a gathering of Catholic clergy at the Vatican.
That letter was followed by another letter signed by 58 Catholic women leaders, calling on the Pope for answers.
“This scandal is very, very serious and it needs to get corrected. That is why I signed the letter,” said Dr. Kathryn Rombs, a Catholic scholar at Univerity of Dallas, and mother of 6 children.
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