More than 2,500 employees of the San Diego-Imperial Roman Catholic Diocese have been summoned to what is being called a first ever all-hands meeting here with the bishop.
A press release Thursday said the meeting — 1-4 p.m. Tuesday at the University of San Diego’s Jenny Craig Pavilion — is mandatory. It will discuss the clergy sex abuse issue.
San Diego Bishop Robert W. McElroy slated the meeting in response to Pope Francis’ call in May for a transformation in the way the Catholic Church responds to the sexual abuse of children, said a press release.
“All diocesan employees will hear about the steps the diocese is taking to protect children and young people, and on the moral and legal responsibilities shared by all of the diocese’s employees, not just mandated reporters, to report suspicions of child abuse,” said the news release.
San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan also is set to make presentations, along with diocesan Chancellor María Galván.
Three presentations are planned. One will explore the church’s response to the sexual abuse crisis. Another will review the obligations of staff members who are mandated by law to report suspected abuse. And a third will underscore every employee’s mission to raise awareness of potential sex abuse and to act to prevent it even if they are not mandated reporters.
Full story at The Times of San Diego.
Great! While this is certainly a strong step in the correct direction, it is long overdue. If the Bishop vigorously enforces this, I believe it will help improve credibility. Otherwise, . . .
Mike M, keep dreaming. Hope springs eternal.
The San Diego newspaper reported, “The former San Francisco auxiliary bishop said gay men could be ordained if they pledged to be ‘chaste,’ or celibate. … McElroy suggested that altar boys were the most vulnerable population because of ‘proximity’ and not gay priests on the prowl. … McElroy told his audience: ‘It’s my conviction that nobody was aware of any allegation against Cardinal McCarrick about abuse of a minor until this past summer.'” About 85 percent of the abuse cases involved homosexual activity with post-pubescent boys, that is, a homosexual priest acting out. The Church teaches that men with deep-seated homosexual attraction, a disorder, should not be ordained. Any person who identifies as “gay” is making a statement. And, is he okay with the apparently relatively widely-known fact in clerical circles that McCarrick was engaging in sex with seminarians 18 or older and other bishops covered that up?!
“As if…” the issue is with the poor worker bees in the diocese! It is THE PRIESTS! and McElroy knows it.
This is a much needed and very positive step by Bishop McElroy. May God continue to bless Bishop McElroy as he leads the diocese of San Diego.
At this assembly of Catholics who profess faith in Jesus, who will represent Jesus and His Biblical teachings to this assembly on chastity, the gift of sexuality to be expressed in Holy Matrimony, and the sins against chastity like adultery, fornication, masturbation, homosexual acts, rape, pederasty, and so forth? It is the power of God’s word that needs presenting also to reach the souls of God’s faithful. This is not a sociological, legal, psychological or false freedom. It comes from the enemy of the soul, and can only be conquered by Jesus the Savior among His people,
The primary issue is and has been—homo0sexuals in the priesthood who prey on teen boys.
Will McElroy address the sore issue?
Jack Richards, this is true! What is very distressful, is that Bishop McElroy has spent his entire ecclesial ministry, as a priest and bishop, championing homosexual rights!
Probably not
Fr , Perozich, I didn’t think there were any priests left who would speak the truth. You obviously know God, other than by hearsay. God bless you!
Well, I guess he could start with having copies of Veritatis Splendor on everyone’s chair when they got there….Would elevate the whole event from damage control to evangelization where it should be….
I will save McElroy time and sum it up in one sentence: The problem is homosexual priests, Bishops, Archbishops and Cardinals who have infiltrated the Catholic clergy over the last 50 or more years.
Xavier, if you are correct then bishops who think like you should have diocese with no clergy sex abuse. Hmmmm. How has that worked out?
McElroy is delusional and won’t address the core problem: Homosexuals going after boys. He refuses to admit this is a problem. He keeps chattering over and over the same line: “It’s a power problem, not a gay problem.”