Thread by @jdflynn

+DiNardo is no opening the floor for broad discussion/ideas about the crisis.

+DiNardo has established a task force. All activities of the task force will be carried out in proximity with committees. It is "deliberately small."

#USCCB18

Dolan, Kurtz, and Gregory, the unretired former presidents of the Conference, along with +DiNardo, will serve on the task force.

#USCCB18

+Mahony: We have spent time on the "effective response to the crisis" in the plans and proposals. But the "affective response," our devotion to each other as members of the college of bishops. StBorromeo developed sensible approaches to the affective relationships of bishops.

+Mahony: Our "affective relationship" should take Borromeo advice- we are not bishops alone or separate. We belong to a college. Bishops should be gathered together, to care for the parish of their soul, should live very simply. We need deeper relationship beginning with prayer.

+Mahony: we need to lead by witness, and certainly prayerful witness, as devoted brothers to each other. Mentions LA house of prayer for priest established by the late Cardinal Manning. I think people would be generous if every diocese wanted to build house of prayer for priests.

+Mahony: our ecclesial communion is being threatened by outside forces. I look forward to our January retreat.

+Wester:
We should seek more of the wisdom and guidance of our priests during this crisis.
#USCCB18

+Cordileone:
I have had listening sessions. I observed two clearly defined camps at those listening sessions.

#USCCB18

+Cordileone:
One camp said that no one is admitting that the real problem is the prevalence of homosexuality in the clergy.
The other camp was the presence of an all male hierarchy
#USCCB18

Cordileone:
Both camps are overly simplistic.
We are trying to respond to the latter camp by consultation and involvement of laity- men and woman
We need to look at the relationship between homosexuality in the clergy and abuse. It's not a 1:1 correlation, but we need to examine.

+Cordileone cites the study below, and calls for a @USCCB study to examine correlation between homosexuality in the clergy and the abuse crisis. Says it is not a causal relationship, but the question has to be examined.
#USCCB18

catholicnewsagency.com/news/clergy-se…

+@BishopBarron: This crisis began with McCarrick. Ppl want us to get to the bottom of McCarrick scandal, and we should pursue that. What is the status of the Holy See's review of its own files? Can we bring "respectful pressure to bear" for an investigation?
#USCCB18

+DiNardo: 4 dioceses in the US are involved in an investigation, and I don't know about where the status of the Vatican investigation is.
#USCCB18

+Byrnes (coadjutor of Guam): there are not meaningful constraints on my predecessor, +Apuron, who is accused of abuse. I do not know where he is, and the ppl are struggling. "we're a small place and seem to be neglected," but there shld be constraints on bps accused of abuse.

+Conlon: We bps are capable of malfeasance on other issues than sex. Perhaps there is a blessing in the delay set by Holy See, norms can be more comprehensive. I agree w/ +Cupich I am chagrined to be asked to sign a code of conduct: I promised to be celibate when I was ordained.

A bishop is speaking now, but I am not sure who. He is calling for greater fraternal charity and unity when bishops can consult with one another, and when they can call one another on. We need to examine how we live as brothers.

It was Bishop Cozzens.

+@Bishopoftyler: I think we need to strengthen fraternal correction. I have been edified by the bishops in this room, and commend those who organize USCCB meetings. We need to "go back to those basic values of the Gospel that we're called to live." #USCCB18

+@Bishopoftyler: we need to ask how the McCarrick scandal happened. We have to take seriously the question of homosexuality in the clergy. "It's part of our deposit of faith that we believe homosexual activity is immoral." "Do we believe the doctrine of the Church or not?"

+@Bishopoftyler: "There is a priest who travels around now basically saying he doesn't [believe the teachings of the Church.]" We have to ask ourselves the question: should that be presented in our diocese?
Bishops respond with light applause.
#USCCB18

+Dan Thomas: by consensus, could we agree, as +Chaput suggests, to submit ourselves to a metropolitan review board. Could we do something sooner, rather than later, to hold ourselves accountable to the metropolitan review board?

+DiNardo: that's possible tomorrow.

+Daly of Spokane: McCarrick is still a source of scandal. Ppl want to know how this came to be. Ppl wonder, did this come to be b/c some bps don't see anything wrong with clerics having consensual sex, or because of ambition? Lay people want to know why?
#USCCB18

+Daly: we need to look at predatory behavior in religious institutes. Also, parents of youth w/ vocations have a serious concern about what is happening this week. They want to encourage vocations, they are understanding and patient, but they are running out of patience. #USCCB18

+DiNardo: I get a lot of letters. If there is one thing that nags at everyone, it's McCarrick. (murmurs of assent from across the room). "It's just bad."-DiNardo

+Naumann: Thank you, +DiNardo. With that said, I agree with +Chaput's suggestion- we could have a metropolitan review board accountability structure, but metropolitans would need to be empowered.

+Naumann: The word "credible" is a very low bar, it means "something that can't be disproved." So we need to be careful with the publication of lists: the criteria that seems to me to better is "substantiated"- that there is some kind of corroboration. But we need agreement.

+Naumann: We have to fill the vacuum on communications, particularly in Catholic media. Some Catholic media are very negative, but there has not been enough information for them to go to. But there is a myth that nothing happened since '02, and that's not true.
#USCCB18

+Lucas:
How bps are held accountable when there has been misconduct is not clear. There is not a timely or transparent process. Our ppl expect it. I would like to expect it myself. 12 yrs ago, diocese was in turmoil (he was bp of Springfield) and it went on for years.

+Lucas: finally when a decision was made [about his predecessor in springfield] I was instructed to keep it all a secret. What we are doing isn't working.

Maybe we can communicate to the Holy Father about what we need.

+Lucas: My priests tell me what they need and it helps me to be a better bishop. "I'd like to think we can help the Holy Father be a better shepherd."

We should also continue the involvement of laypersons. Our discussions can be helpful, and I hope you [+Dinardo] can sum it up.

+Lucas is met with applause from the room.

+Boyea of Lansing: +DiNardo, it would be good for you to bring to Feb meeting the issue of structuring better the role of the metropolitan bishop. I think this would have greater receptivity in the universal Church; it is more ecclesial.

+Murry: 1 thing I hear a lot from laity in my diocese is that, beyond anger and disappointment, they genuinely care about priests and about us. They want to help us. We should invite the laity and warmly welcome them and be collaborators. #USCCB18

+@ThomasWenski: "We've had a lot of bad press, but I think we should grateful that Donald Trump is president b/c he dominates the news cycle." (he meant this as a joke, folks.) We can't allow ourselves to be distracted by the press.

+Wenski: "Life in the Church is moving on. If you're not reading the blogs and you're not watching tv, this is not front and center for most of our ppl." Says he does not mean by that to dismiss the real pain of victims. Says bps have to continue to be good bps to regain trust.

+Wenski: outrage has become an industry. We can't allow ourselves to be played by ppl who would exploit other ppl's outrage. We need to fulfill our vocations as bishops, and if we do that, we will regain ppl's trust.
#USCCB18

+Wenski: We need to be pastors and shepherds of our ppl. If we walk with them, we can regain their trust.
#USCCB18

+George Thomas of Las Vegas: Yesterday's announcement regarding the decision from the Holy See has made many ppl in my diocese very angry. We are on a "tight rope," we want to listen to Holy See, but in the minds of our ppl, the perception is justice delayed is justice denied.

+George Thomas: I hope that we have a genuine advisory vote emerging with one voice that "we will do everything in our power to remove a cancer and help heal this wound that is affecting so deeply the Body of Christ."
#USCCB18

+@CardinalJWTobin: The 4 dioceses where McCarrick served are undertaking investigations of McCarrick. In NJ, that is complicated by state AG investigation. We have to have the ok from the AG to do what we need to do. In NWK, we have a private investigative service ready to go.

+@CardinalJWTobin: Seton Hall University is conducting an investigation under Title IX. They have engaged an independent law firm that is conducting interviews and examining files.

@CardinalJWTobin: We dioceses are committed to sharing our results with the Holy See. I've heard about + felt what it is to lose credibility: but it leads me to a question- if the events of the summer can do such moral damage to our credibility, what credibility was there before?

+Levada: There is something to be learned if USCCB would analyze what happened in 4 McCarrick dioceses. If bps would reconstruct how that happened. It would be good to make an intervention with Cong. for Bps and CDF (where Levada was prefect), would be helpful. #USCCB17

*now.

+McKnight: Important to remember the necessity of the laity to get out of this mess. Could task force get 2 or 3 competent laity to assist its task? We need to study the root causes of the abuse of power by Catholic hierarchy, and laity could do that work for task force. #usccb18

+McKnight: we need an objective understanding of the problem of the abuse of power. #USCCB18

+@ArchbishpSample: I support comments made by +@Bishopoftyler, especially his emphasis on the saving message of Jesus Christ. We are at a watershed moment in the life of the Church. We will be studied in the history of Church; how did we respond.
#USCCB18

+@archbishopsample: this crisis has provoked in me a profound sense of self-examination. The supreme law of the Church is the salvation of souls. I was struck by @CardinalJWTobin's question: What is our credibility based on? We have lost sight sometimes of our mission.

+Sample: If you had asked me 4 months ago about my spiritual life, I probably would have told you it was pretty good. But now I have to look more closely at myself. How am I evangelizing and catechizing my ppl? Our mission is to sanctify the world and to be leaders.

+Sample: @Pontifex gets it so right, in calling for us to be close to our ppl. I need to be closer to my priests, and closer to my ppl. We need reform, institutional reform, but reform always begins with us, and a recommitment of ourselves to the sacred mission of Christ.

+Sample: I think this crisis is a call for us to invite our people, and we ourselves, to go more deeply into the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus.
#USCCB18

+Soto: it might be too late for us to strengthen metropolitans, because ppl don't trust, and expect lay-led reform. I was intrigued for further conversation on +Paprocki's ideas, and look forward to more conversation.
#USCCB18

The conversation has no come to a close.

Msgr. Bransfield is letting bps know it's going to snow on Thursday. This means they'll tweak the schedule more.

"Ice and snow bless the Lord."- my comment.