ST. LOUIS (MO)
Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests
June 25, 2019
We are grateful that Scranton’s bishop is sticking by his guns and banning his disgraced predecessor from public ministry. By keeping Bishop Emeritus James C. Timlin away from the public during the past weekend of confirmation ceremonies in Scranton, Bishop Joseph Bambera is taking a small step on behalf of the wounded survivors and betrayed Catholics in his diocese.
It is likely that Bishop Bambera felt pressure from some to let Bishop Timlin help this month in the customary way with confirmations. But Timlin stayed on the sidelines, and we believe that is best for all concerned. And it sent an all-too-rare message to other clerics – if you ignore or conceal child sex abuse, you can no longer assume that your colleagues will look the other way.
We are grateful to Bishop Bambera for his small actions this past weekend and hope his display will inspire other church officials to follow in his footsteps when dealing with similar situations in their own dioceses.
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