ARKANSAS
Bilgrimmage
November 6, 2018
By William Lindsey
US Catholic Bishops
@USCCB
During the next seven days, bishops across the U.S. will dedicate themselves to intensified prayer and fasting. We pray for victims of clergy sexual abuse, the conversion and just punishment of perpetrators and concealers of sexual abuse, and the strength to be holy shepherds.
The preceding announcement is a prelude to the gathering of the U.S. Catholic bishops that will occur next week in Baltimore. Catholic News Service editor Julie Asher tweeted the following yesterday on behalf of the bishops:
Julie Asher
@jlasher
Today is first of 7 days of “intensified” prayer, fasting, reparation all U.S. bishops called to by @USCCB president ahead of fall meeting in Baltimore where addressing abuse crisis to top agenda.
In my view, this showy announcement about prayer, fasting, reptentance, and conversion is diversionary. As I said recently, when it comes to the abuse horror show, it’s always someone else’s sin — never the sin of the bishops. It’s always someone else’s sin, when the leaders of the Catholic church address that horror show.
The statement that “we pray for … the conversion and just punishment of perpetrators and concealers of sexual abuse” does not own their responsibility for protecting and concealing sexual abuse of minors and vulnerable people by Catholic clergy. It rhetorically disguises the bishops’ responsibility.
“We pray for their conversion” is a different statement from, “We pray for our conversion.”
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