SCRANTON (PA)
Times-Tribune
By the Editorial Board
September 4, 2018
Scranton Bishop Joseph C. Bambera made too fine a distinction Friday when he emphasized that former Bishop James C. Timlin, whom he barred from formally representing the diocese, had not personally harmed any children.
As bishop for nearly 20 years and as a diocesan official for years before that, Timlin was aware of and had the capacity to stop the sexual abuse of children by multiple priests. But as detailed by the Aug. 14 statewide investigating grand jury report into such atrocities in six Pennsylvania Catholic dioceses, Timlin proved to be an enabler of abusers rather than a protector of children.
The report detailed, for example, that Timlin sought the reinstatement of and transferred to a different parish a priest who had assaulted and impregnated a teenager and arranged for her abortion.
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.