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Bishop says ‘nothing could be more important’ than dealing with the crisis

Zoey Maraist | Catholic Herald Staff Writer

Bishop Michael F. Burbidge gestures during a news conference at the USCCB general assembly June 11. BOB ROLLER | CNS

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The U.S. bishops met in Baltimore June 11-13
with one overriding priority — to adopt procedures that will hold bishops
accountable for sexual misconduct or other gross failures of leadership. 

“The spirit was one of urgency,” Bishop
Michael F. Burbidge said of the general assembly during his Walk Humbly
Podcast. “We prepared for this meeting — we had conference calls, we had
webinars preparing us for what the action items would be. We had our retreat in
January, which I think set the tone for this meeting that we were entering
having already been together in prayer, trusting our work to the Lord. We have
communicated well with the Holy See.”

By the end of the general assembly, the
bishops approved three important documents they hope will improve accountability
and transparency. “I am extremely pleased that the goals and the objectives
with which we entered the meeting were accomplished,” said Bishop Burbidge. 

The first was the “Protocol Regarding Available Non-Penal Restrictions
on Bishops,” which would allow bishops who have resigned or were removed from
ministry for reasons of sexual misconduct or the mishandling thereof to be
restricted in certain ways, such as being barred from public ministry. These
limitations could be implemented by that bishop’s successor, and the U.S.
Conference of Catholic Bishops was given the authority to restrict
participation in USCCB committees and/or meetings. 

The second action was “Affirming Our
Episcopal Commitments,” a code of conduct for all the bishops in light of the
current crisis. Among other things, the document says bishops will continue to
listen to and care for victim/survivors and will involve the laity in
investigations against bishops. “We are also committed, when we receive or when
we are authorized to investigate such cases, to include the counsel of lay men
and women whose professional backgrounds are indispensable,” the document
states. 

The bishops also promised to live out their
commitment to celibacy. “Both our baptism and ordination call us to chaste
living. We will be always mindful that there can be no ‘double life,’ no
‘special circumstances,’ no ‘secret life’ in the practice of chastity,” said
the document.

The third, “Directives for the Implementation
of the Provisions of ‘Vos estis lux mundi
Concerning Bishops and their Equivalents,” established a protocol for reporting
and investigating the misconduct of bishops. In May, Pope Francis issued his
own directive, or motu proprio, “Vos
estis lux mundi
,” about how to handle such cases, and the USCCB’s document
was written in light of the pope’s instructions. 

There are several ways to report wrongdoing
in addition to this new option. “If anyone has a concern about bishops’
misconduct, violation of boundaries or sexual misconduct, they can, as is always
the case, go to civil authorities, they can report it to the papal nuncio or
the metropolitan,” he said. “But we also established a national hotline that
you can call,” he added. “Basically, it would be with a firm who operates this
hotline for us, who receives the complaint and then automatically forwards it
to the metropolitan archbishop.” 

The church is made up of ecclesiastical provinces, headed by a
metropolitan archbishop. The Diocese of Arlington is part of the ecclesiastical
province of Baltimore, and Archbishop William E. Lori is the metropolitan archbishop of this province.  

 If an
accusation is made against the metropolitan, the investigation would fall to
the senior suffragan, or the ordinary who has been serving longest in that
province.

The bishops voted to allow the executive
committee of the USCCB to work out the implementation of creating such a
hotline, to be approved by the administrative committee. The details of the
plan will then be sent to the Holy See for approval. Bishop Burbidge believes the
plan will be approved in a timely manner, hopefully well before the bishops’
meeting in November. After it is established, the number will be disseminated
to the public. 

Pope Francis has asked that the motu proprio
be evaluated in three years and the U.S. bishops also want to continually
re-evaluate their own plan. “We understand right now that there is an urgency
to address this crisis, this challenge, that we are to begin to restore the
trust of the faithful,” said Bishop Burbidge.

 

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