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BOB ABERNETHY, anchor: As they gathered for their annual spring meeting, the nation's Roman Catholic bishops had hoped to put controversy and scandal behind them. But that wasn't the case as they met in St Louis this week.
One the eve of the meeting, Bishop Thomas O'Brien of Phoenix resigned after being arrested and charged with leaving the scene of a fatal hit-and-run accident. Police say a car the bishop was driving hit and killed a pedestrian, Jim Reed. Just a couple of weeks earlier, O'Brien had struck a deal with the local prosecutor, avoiding indictment by publicly acknowledging that he had sheltered priests accused of sexual abuse.
Meanwhile in St. Louis, the bishops faced a new round of questions about how they've handled the sex abuse crisis over the past year. Kim Lawton reports.
KIM LAWTON: The U.S. Bishops came together one year after crafting new policies to resolve the biggest sexual abuse crisis in the Church's history. Under those reforms, the bishops agreed to remove any abuser -- past, present, or future -- from ministry; they appointed a lay review board, established an office for child and youth protection, and promised new transparency in their administration.
In St. Louis, they defended their record so far.
Cardinal FRANCIS GEORGE: There's a good deal of work still to be done, but it's procedural. What we've promised to do a year ago, we've done.
LAWTON: But questions came from a surprising source: former Oklahoma Governor Frank Keating, chairman of the lay review board the bishops appointed last year to hold them accountable. Keating resigned Monday after publicly comparing some bishops' resistance to the Mafia.
In his resignation letter, Keating said: "To resist grand jury subpoenas, to suppress the names of offending clerics, to deny, to obfuscate, to explain away; that is the model of a criminal organization, not my church."
Other review board members called his comments inflammatory and counterproductive.
ROBERT BENNETT (National Review Board): The National Review Board does not believe that there is a criminal organization afoot. We do not associate ourselves with those remarks.
One the eve of the meeting, Bishop Thomas O'Brien of Phoenix resigned after being arrested and charged with leaving the scene of a fatal hit-and-run accident. Police say a car the bishop was driving hit and killed a pedestrian, Jim Reed. Just a couple of weeks earlier, O'Brien had struck a deal with the local prosecutor, avoiding indictment by publicly acknowledging that he had sheltered priests accused of sexual abuse.
Meanwhile in St. Louis, the bishops faced a new round of questions about how they've handled the sex abuse crisis over the past year. Kim Lawton reports.
KIM LAWTON: The U.S. Bishops came together one year after crafting new policies to resolve the biggest sexual abuse crisis in the Church's history. Under those reforms, the bishops agreed to remove any abuser -- past, present, or future -- from ministry; they appointed a lay review board, established an office for child and youth protection, and promised new transparency in their administration.
In St. Louis, they defended their record so far.
Cardinal FRANCIS GEORGE: There's a good deal of work still to be done, but it's procedural. What we've promised to do a year ago, we've done.LAWTON: But questions came from a surprising source: former Oklahoma Governor Frank Keating, chairman of the lay review board the bishops appointed last year to hold them accountable. Keating resigned Monday after publicly comparing some bishops' resistance to the Mafia.
In his resignation letter, Keating said: "To resist grand jury subpoenas, to suppress the names of offending clerics, to deny, to obfuscate, to explain away; that is the model of a criminal organization, not my church."
Other review board members called his comments inflammatory and counterproductive.ROBERT BENNETT (National Review Board): The National Review Board does not believe that there is a criminal organization afoot. We do not associate ourselves with those remarks.
BARBARA BLAINE (SNAP): Basically, one year ago, the bishops promised a new era, that they were going to engage in a spirit of openness and transparency, and unfortunately, what we're seeing is that we're right back to the usual atmosphere of silence and secrecy.
LAWTON: Other issues were also on the agenda, including Native American concerns and the role of deacons. Many bishops were clearly frustrated that sex abuse was still getting all the attention.
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