BALTIMORE (MD)
Philadelphia Inquirer
June 13, 2019
By Jeremy Roebuck
The nation’s Roman Catholic bishops overwhelmingly — though not unanimously — approved a new framework Thursday for policing their own conduct, hoping it would be enough to stanch a series of scandals that brought to light sexual misconduct and inaction within their ranks over the past year.
The measures include a new code of conduct, guidelines for restricting the ministry of retired problem prelates and a new system through which the church will investigate bishops accused of mishandling abuse complaints or facing such allegations themselves. On Wednesday the bishops also approved a national hotline that would take allegations from victims of abuse by bishops.
But victims and their advocates responded with a collective shrug, saying the reforms still leave too much power in the hands of a hierarchy that has repeatedly failed to hold itself accountable.
Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro, whose investigation of abuse in Pennsylvania dioceses that was released last year, creating an international uproar, said Thursday in a statement on Twitter: “Clergy abuse victims should contact law enforcement – not a Church hotline. That only serves to cover up the cover up. Our clergy abuse hotline has received 1,803 calls. We follow up on every one of them. The Church cannot be trusted to police itself.”
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