Catholic Bishops Plan a Complaint Hotline for Sex Abuse

Responding to a deepening scandal over sexual misconduct in their own ranks, Catholic bishops in the United States say they plan to set up a hotline — run by a third party — to field complaints about bishops who have sexually abused or harassed minors or adults.

The hotline was one of several steps announced Wednesday by the American bishops, in an attempt to rebuild their credibility after revelations of abuse, cover-ups and negligence by those in the church’s hierarchy.

The long-running scandal over sexual misconduct in the church has grown beyond abuse by priests to focus scrutiny on bishops who have themselves been accused of abuse or of turning a blind eye to abusive priests and a deaf ear to victims. The problem has persisted despite the charter the American bishops adopted 16 years ago spelling out abuse-prevention policies for the church.

“Some bishops, by their actions or their failures to act, have caused great harm to both individuals and the church as a whole,” the administrative committee of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said in a statement announcing the measures.

“They have used their authority and power to manipulate and sexually abuse others,” the statement continued. “They have allowed the fear of scandal to replace genuine concern and care for those who have been victimized by abusers.”

The committee said the bishops’ conference would develop a code of conduct specifically for bishops, and would establish policies “addressing restrictions on bishops who were removed or resigned because of allegations of sexual abuse of minors or sexual harassment of or misconduct with adults, including seminarians and priests.”

The steps come in response to the fresh scandal involving former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, once the archbishop of Washington, who was permitted to travel around the world representing the church even after dioceses in New Jersey had paid settlements to two men who said he molested them when they were seminary students decades ago.

The McCarrick case has drawn widespread outrage among Catholics, which was compounded when a former Vatican ambassador to the United States claimed in an explosive 11-page letter that Pope Francis had lifted restrictions on McCarrick that the letter said had been imposed by the previous pope, Benedict XVI.

The American bishops said that they “supported a full investigation” into allegations of a history of abuse by the former cardinal, and into how the claims were handled by church leaders.

In past statements, the bishops had called for the Vatican to send investigators to conduct an inquiry, known as an apostolic visitation, into the McCarrick scandal. But their statement Wednesday did not specify who they were asking or expecting to conduct an investigation; it said only that the inquiry “should rely upon lay experts in relevant fields, such as law enforcement and social services.”

The bishops encouraged abuse survivors to come forward and seek help from victims’ assistance coordinators who work for the church. But they also said that “anyone who has ever been abused” should “never hesitate to also contact local law enforcement.”

One central criticism of the church throughout the scandal has been that it was more concerned with hushing up episodes of abuse and keeping law enforcement from becoming involved than it was with protecting victims or preventing future abuse.

The third-party hotline the bishops promised to establish would accept reports and complaints by phone and online. Allegations would be directed to the “appropriate ecclesiastical authority,” and when required by law, to the civil authorities, the bishops’ statement said.

At least one victims’ advocate was skeptical about the hotline idea.

“The trust has been shattered,” said the Rev. James Connell, a canon lawyer and retired priest in Milwaukee who belongs to Catholic Whistleblowers, an advocacy group for abuse victims. “To rebuild trust, they’ve got to surrender complete control, even over the intake process. Let the attorneys general set up a number, and have people contact them — that’s where the investigations should begin.”

Connell said there was no need for a separate code of conduct for bishops, because they are already covered by provisions in the church’s code of canon law that govern abuse of authority — including sexual abuse — by anyone in the clergy.

The bishops’ statement said the measures it announced were “only a beginning,” and that the bishops would consult with parents and lay experts, as well as members of the clergy, to come up with additional “specific measures” to address the scandal.

“We humbly welcome and are grateful for the assistance of the whole people of God in holding us accountable,” the bishops’ statement said, adding, “We cannot content ourselves that our response to sexual assault within the church has been sufficient.”