BALTIMORE (MD)
National Catholic Reporter
November 14, 2018
By Heidi Schlumpf
Some bishops have been more concerned about the reputation of the church than about victims of sexual abuse, indicating “clear corruption” and “a blind spot” that must be addressed, said Archbishop Paul Etienne of Anchorage, Alaska.
Etienne suggested a study — similar to the 2011 John Jay College “causes and context” study of priests who abused minors — to help understand “the episcopal attitude that was able to handle the abuse situation in such an inept way over the decades.”
He also criticized bishops “who have gotten too accustomed to listening to lawyers over victims” and said that he and his brother bishops must remain vigilant against “the three Ps” — pride and the desire for privilege and power.
“That’s a corruption of our life as shepherds that has to be called out and say ‘No more. It’s not tolerable,’ ” Etienne told NCR in an interview after the Nov. 13 morning session of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops meeting in Baltimore.
Later that day, Bishop Shawn McKnight of Jefferson City, Missouri, took to the floor and suggested a similar study of “the root causes of abuse of power” in the crisis.
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.