Lay groups cautious about bishops’ actions to boost accountability

DENVER (CO)
Catholic News Service

June 15, 2019

Representatives of lay organizations expressed caution over the steps taken by U.S. bishops to boost accountability and transparency in dealing with clergy sexual abuse, saying future actions by the bishops will determine how successful the initiatives ultimately will be.

Full collaboration with laypeople will be the key to the success of the measures adopted by the bishops, they said in a series of statements following the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ spring general assembly in Baltimore June 11-13.

“Catholics are looking for robust actions and long-term solutions to the twin crises of abuse and leadership failures,” Kim Smolik, CEO of the Leadership Roundtable, said in a June 13 statement.

“While the bishops took important initial steps, more remains to be done to address the root causes and create a new culture of leadership that values accountability, transparency and co-responsibility with clergy and laity,” she said.

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