USCCB: Need to rebuild trust between priests and bishops, advisory body says
Print Friendly VersionBy JOHN L. ALLEN JR.
Orlando, Florida
A national advisory body to the U.S. bishops intended to represent “the church in miniature” has endorsed a “dialogue on the national level” with the country’s priests, intended to move towards “reestablishing trust” between bishops and priests damaged by the sexual abuse crisis.
That dialogue would be focused on implementation of the “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People” adopted by the bishops in June 2002, though it would also consider broader questions in the relationship between bishops and priests.
The suggestion came from the National Advisory Council, a body of more than 40 laity, deacons, priests and religious intended to form a composite of the U.S. church in terms of geography, age, ethnicity and occupation.
The report from the council was delivered this morning by Archbishop Roger Schwietz of Anchorage, Alaska, one of three bishops who sit on the council. While technically the council is an advisory body to the Administrative Committee of the bishops’ conference, typically it delivers a report to the fully body of bishops as well.
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is meeting June 12-14 in Orlando, Florida.
Schwietz also told the bishops that the advisory council is “strongly supportive” of the proposed statement on embryonic stem cell research, up for a vote during the Orlando meeting.
The council, Schwietz said, is concerned about a “serious lack of knowledge and understanding among health care professionals, parishioners, clergy and religious about appropriate Catholic teaching” on the issue.
“U.S. Catholics and the general public are often confused about nature of embryonic stem cell research and the issues involved,” Schwietz said, summarizing the council’s discussions. “They are often misrepresented and misunderstood in the secular media and public perception.”
“U.S. Catholics and the general public deserves a clear, concise, unambiguous statement on this topic,” Schwietz said. In particular, he said, the council applauded the statement for stressing that “the Catholic church supports and encourages morally acceptable medical research and scientific progress.”
Dom We need to rebuild trust
Dom
We need to rebuild trust between bishops and priests shouldn't be too dificult. Find the priests that believe that the bishop's have screwed up and transfer them to another diocese. There are a number of small parishes in New Mexico, Arizona and Montana. rebuilding trust between the bishops and parishioers of their diocese is really what the bishops should be concerned about, since the parishioners are the source of his golden egg. without which, he would just be a sheperd.
I have lived in a diocese
I have lived in a diocese for 37 years and in that time I received 38 or 39 letters from the bishop[s]. There were no questions as to my wellbeing. There were no simple good wishes. There wre no requests for prayers. There were 37 requests for money [and 37 more through the parish].Along with the requests for money were quotes etc., to develop a little guilt. The bishops do not have a problem with the yes-men, and the others just drift away.
Frank Vitus Having three
Frank Vitus Having three priest friends with false allegations, and two of them are dead from pancreatic cancer, sound familiar ( Cardinal Bernardin) I can whole heartily agree that the bishops need to mend fences with priests. After Dallas I felt that the bishops just painted targets on our backs.
And the laity?? Doesn't
And the laity?? Doesn't both bishops and priests need to work on rebuilding trust with the laity?? or do they want to stay in their ivory towers praising each other?
Would that the advisory was
Would that the advisory was as concerned about reestablishing trust between the bishops and the people of God.
We’ll not get leadership
We’ll not get leadership from the clergy. They only ordain people who are celibate and pious and can’t lead anything. We could really use some bishops who embody the tradition of Catholicism. That could be a beginning.
Dutch theologian, Eric Borgman
The problem of clericalism is composed of several problems. It is the problem of a caste that arrogates to itself undue authority, that makes unwarranted claims to wisdom, even to having a monopoly on understanding the mind of God. The consequence is the great weakening of the Church by denigrating or excluding the many gifts of the Spirit present in the people who are the Church. The problem of clericalism arises when "the church" acts in indifference, or even contempt, toward the people who are the Church.
Richard J. Neuhaus, June 1989.
In my experience, all nuns are Democrats and all bishops are Republicans.
John Fitzgerald Kennedy