UK Bishop: ‘There Is
a Three-Level Crisis’ in the Church
‘Keep your nerve and draw closer to the Person of Jesus’:
Bishop Philip Egan considers a response to the clerical sex-abuse scandal.
K.V. Turley
Bishop Philip Egan, the eighth bishop of Portsmouth,
England, lent his voice to the chorus of Church leaders appalled by the
burgeoning clerical sex-abuse scandal and cover-up Aug. 22, when he wrote a letter to Pope Francis requesting that he
convene an extraordinary synod of bishops to address the scandal in the United
States, Chile, Honduras and elsewhere. “Clerical sex abuse seems to be a
worldwide phenomenon in the Church,” Bishop Egan’s letter said. “As a Catholic
and a bishop, these revelations fill me with deep sorrow and shame.”
The bishop, 65, said that, in addition to expressions of
sadness, he felt compelled to offer a more “constructive suggestion” and asked
the Holy Father to consider calling an Extraordinary Synod on the Life and
Ministry of Clergy.
Dallas Bishop Edward Burns penned and published a letter,
dated Aug. 29, to join Bishop Egan in suggesting to Pope Francis that a synod
on the life and ministry of clergy was needed. And Aug. 30, Archbishop Charles
Chaput of Philadelphia reportedly told the Cardinals’ Forum that he had written
to the Pope requesting that he cancel a synod on young people and instead hold
one on the life of bishops. Register correspondent K.V. Turley interviewed
Bishop Egan via email Sept. 5.
You called for an Extraordinary Synod of Bishops on
the Life and Ministry of Clergy Aug. 22. What exactly would that consist of?
First, we need to get through the immediate situation and
its scandal, but a synod, I believe, would be a huge help. It would need
careful preparation.
I would envisage it comprising, first, a congress of laity
and others who are experts in the abuse crisis, in the safeguarding of children
and the vulnerable in our dioceses, the psychological issues around clergy
assessment and recruitment, matters of human sexuality, the commitment to
celibacy and the realm of “human development” of seminarians, priests and
bishops. It could share experience on the lifestyle of priests and bishops and
offer some suggestions for improvement. The members of this congress, not to
put too fine a point on this, would need to be chosen carefully to ensure they
have a deep love for the Church, for the priesthood and for the psychological
well-being of all.
I would envisage the bishops of the synod taking part in
this initial congress, say lasting the first week, but principally as
“listeners.” The fruits of this discussion could then be taken forward into the
synod proper.
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