THEY DID THIS TO THEMSELVES

By Fr. Wilson ( articles ) | May 14, 2004

Associated Press is reporting that Leon Pannetta, who was appointed by the leadership of the Bishops' Conference to the National Review Board, is interested in taking things quite a bit further.

"SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) - The Roman Catholic Church should be subject to scrutiny that goes beyond an investigation into child sexual abuse, speakers urged Friday in a conference about the recent church scandals. Leon Panetta, a member of the U.S. Conference of Bishops Committee on Child Sexual Abuse, said church leaders are unaccountable to their followers. Panetta urged follow-up investigations, saying they could uncover problems ranging from embezzlement to sexual harassment of women parishioners.

"This is for all intents and purposes a feudal system, and these are fiefdoms that bishops operate pretty much on their own," said Panetta, former chief of staff to President Clinton. "They don't want to be accountable to anyone but the pope, and what he doesn't know is just as well."