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Marjorie Murphy Campbell Is Not Taking That Crap

A canon law expert goes on EWTN to blast the Catholic bishops: 'Credibility at the episcopal level is shot'

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FifBf4e4C20&w=525&h=300]

Just saw Raymond Arroyo’s hard-hitting EWTN interview with canonist Marjorie Murphy Campbell, who published an open letter to the Catholic bishops over the burgeoning McCarrick scandal. Raymond does not pull punches in talking tough about the bishops’ failures, and neither does Campbell, who says that the US bishops cannot be trusted to handle this scandal, and that those who knew about McCarrick and did nothing should resign their offices.

Here’s a link to her letter. Excerpts:

Through contributions of time, talent and money, the laity stood side-by-side with the USCCB and our dioceses [in 2002] to expose, heal and compensate the gross sexual wrongdoing of clergy. We stood upon promises from our shepherds that reporting, exposure, and sexual safety were the new norms; admissions of wrong-doing and recompense and healing for victims, the new spiritual language; and zero tolerance of clerical predatory behavior, the uncompromised standard of all bishops.

Yet, here we awake again to scandalous headlines…

More:

I urge you toward disclosure, transparency, and communication. I urge you to commission a third study with a focus on how a sexually abusive bishop not only remained immune from the scrutiny that our priests underwent during the sexual abuse crisis but advanced in his Episcopacy. This study must detail what Cardinal McCarrick’s fellow bishops knew about both allegations and instances of sexual predation and what, if anything, the community of Bishops did to address the information. It must also fully and finally reveal the scope of sexual misconduct and allegations of misconduct by Cardinal McCarrick, as well as any other Bishop, detailing the Bishops’ own compliance with the standards imposed on all clergy in 2002.

I also urge the USCCB to promptly appoint a commission of laity to work with the USCCB on initiating this investigation and to formulate independent observations and recommendations regarding procedures for exposing, reporting and addressing sexual misconduct by our Bishops. It is critical to Catholics – who are called upon to encourage our sons toward the priesthood – to understand the scope of sexual predation, and its enabling, among our Bishops. The voice of the laity must be included and heard, for the voice of our Bishops has failed us.

Marjorie Murphy Campbell is not putting up with that crap from the bishops again. Good for her — and three cheers for Raymond Arroyo and EWTN for putting her on the air.

UPDATE: Oh man, read Phil Lawler today:

In November 2003, Kim Lawton of PBS interviewed then-Archbishop Timothy Dolan about the American bishops’ response to the abuse scandal.

Lawton: Some groups fear the bishops’ energy and commitment may fade.

Archbishop Dolan: Can’t happen. Can’t happen. We never, never, Kim, want to go through what we’ve had to do. We just can’t do it. We can’t do it personally. I think we bishops will collapse if we ever have to go through this again. And we can’t, we just can’t, in justice, put our people through that again. So, I don’t think there’s danger of us forgetting.

So now, roughly 15 years later, why are we talking about the bishops’ failure to take action?

Phil attempts to answer his question. Read his theories, and his subsequent questions about the bishops’ credibility. Devastating.

And by the way, Fordham theologian Charlie Camosy is not fooling around either:

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