New U.S. leader: Catholic bishops have had it rough
By Cathy Lynn Grossman, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Bishop William Skylstad of Spokane, Wash., in his first public statement Wednesday as head of the Roman Catholic Church’s U.S. leadership, sidestepped two fractious issues — whether Catholic politicians who publicly dissent from church teachings on abortion should be offered Communion and the cost of the child sexual-abuse crisis.
Skylstad is named in several lawsuits that accuse his Spokane Diocese of covering up abuse of children by some priests.
By Stephen Boitano, AP
Skylstad was elected head of the bishops group just days after announcing his diocese would file for bankruptcy to preserve assets in the face of potential multimillion-dollar claims by 125 alleged victims of sexual abuse by priests. Spokane will be the third diocese to file for bankruptcy in the crisis, which has cost $772 million nationwide.
Acknowledging “tension” between his responsibilities to his diocese and his role as leader of the bishops’ group, Skylstad said, “It’s been a tough time for bishops, honestly, a very tough time.”
He steps into the job just as unity among the bishops has been under severe attack by vocal pro-life Catholic groups insisting that the bishops publicly refuse Communion to Catholic politicians who dissent from church teachings on abortion. Several bishops drew headlines saying they would refuse to give Communion to presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry.
Skylstad said he would hold to a June agreement that bishops’ decisions on this should be private, pastoral and independent.
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“Now that the election is over,” bishops should unify for common concerns over a spectrum of values, not just the single issue of abortion, said Washington D.C. Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, who heads a task force on the issue.
The bishops also agreed to:
• Join a new ecumenical group intended as a forum for Catholics, evangelicals and other Protestants. It will operate by consensus to provide a common voice of faith on issues in the culture. However, the largest non-Catholic denomination, the Southern Baptist Convention, and the fast-growing Assemblies of God have declined to join.
• Undertake a two-year teaching and pastoral push to promote the Catholic understanding of marriage. It is aimed within the church, where the number of Catholics married by a priest has fallen 48% since 1984, and to a wider society battling over gay marriage and confronted with “an impoverished concept of love,” said Bishop J. Kevin Boland of Savannah, Ga.
• Repeat in 2005 the audit of all 196 dioceses’ compliance with the church’s national policy on preventing and reporting sexual abuse of minors and removing credibly accused priests from ministry. They also approved collecting data on reports of abuse to determine whether outreach and prevention procedures are working. The $39,000 project will be underwritten by an anonymous private donor.
usatoday.com/news/religion/2004-11-17-skylstad-usat_x.htm
