KIM LAWTON: Across the country, U.S. Catholic bishops are still facing fallout from nearly two years of crisis over priestly sex abuse.
Bishop KENNETH UNTENER (Diocese of Saginaw): The terrible things that happened for whatever reasons in Boston -- it was like a California wildfire. It spread even though the fire started somewhere else and what was going on in other dioceses wasn't what went on there. But we were all caught by it. So it was very, very difficult, and it sucked a lot of energy.LAWTON: Bishop Wilton Gregory, president of the U.S. Bishops' Conference, acknowledged that reforms are still needed at every Church level to prevent future abuse.
Bishop WILTON GREGORY (President, U.S. Bishops' Conference, Presidential Address): Diocesan administration alone will not achieve the goal of eliminating this abuse. Much of what we adopted last year in Dallas must be implemented in each parish to be effective. Pastors and people, along with us bishops, need to act decisively if this goal is to become reality.LAWTON: But Gregory also said he believes the Church may have finally "turned the corner" on the crisis.
Bishop GREGORY (At Press Conference): Turning the corner does not mean crossing the finish line, it means turning the corner. We're not at the finish line, but we certainly have made significant progress.
LAWTON: Other bishops agreed.
Bishop UNTENER: I think we did what we had to do in order to enable the people to trust that it was being dealt with seriously. I don't know where it will go from here, but we did what we had to do.
LAWTON: Victims' rights groups say it's still not enough. Again this year, there were protests and vigils outside the meeting. SNAP -- the Survivors' Network of Those Abused by Priests -- released a list of 13 alleged abusers who are still in ministry. Other lay reform groups also urged more accountability for the bishops themselves.
LINDA PIECZYNSKI (Call to Action): I think there's a lot of well-meaning attempts on the behalf of the bishops, but I still think that they don't understand the depth and breadth of the rage and disgust that the Catholic people and the victims and survivors feel toward them for their part in it. And as you know, none of them have been disciplined by Rome for their part in the scandal.LAWTON: Sex abuse wasn't the only topic on the agenda. Many bishops said they sensed a new focus on the spiritual at this year's meeting. They scheduled a six-day-long retreat for themselves next spring. They also passed a new statement urging Catholics to practice popular devotions, such as the rosary and cyclical prayers -- while at the same time cautioning the practices should not be a replacement for attending mass.
Archbishop TIMOTHY DOLAN (Archdiocese of Milwaukee): It may have. You know, you hear a lot of people who might be pretty savvy in reading the credibility of the bishops saying that we've taken a kick in the stomach here. No matter what people tell us, if our credibility has been tarnished a bit, that can't keep us from speaking in a compelling and clear way. We've got to do that more than ever, because the one thing that will restore our credibility is that sense of integrity and fortitude in preaching those hard lessons.
Sister CHRISTINE SCHENK (FutureChurch, at Press Conference): We see this as a first installment of opening the conversation about having both a married priesthood and a celibate priesthood in the Catholic Church.
LAWTON: According to a new Gallup Poll, the majority of Catholics who attend mass regularly are pleased with how the bishops have handled the sex abuse crisis over the past year. But they're still very concerned about levels of openness and accountability. The bishops hope to address those concerns in the next few weeks. In January, an audit will be released of how all 195 dioceses are complying with the sex abuse policy.
