Admissions against interest

By Diogenes ( articles ) | Jan 02, 2004

Another year has passed, and it's time to make up lists of the events that occurred-- or in this case did not occur-- in 2003. (I waited the extra day just so that I could scan all the newspapers to make sure nothing new happened on December 31.)

Here is a list of the US bishops who, responding to the sex-abuse scandal, disclosed wrongdoing within their dioceses before that wrongdoing was exposed by the media or the courts:

Here is a list of US bishops who issued a public call for another bishop to resign because of his direct involvement in sexual abuse or in failing to curb abusers:

Hmm. Nobody on either list. So we can conclude one of two things. Maybe there isn't a single bishop who has been aware of wrongdoing prior to its public exposure. And maybe there isn't a single bishop who has been aware of another bishop's misbehavior. Or....