CALIFORNIA
The Press-Enterprise
By MICHAEL FISHER / The Press-Enterprise
Bishop Phillip F. Straling, who led Inland Catholics for 17 years as the Diocese of San Bernardino's first bishop, retired Tuesday.
Reached by phone, Straling said he intended to retire two years ago, but his plan was thwarted by several unfinished projects in the Diocese of Reno, Nev., where he has served as bishop since 1995. ...
In the 1990s, a handful of priests resigned or left their posts amid accusations of sexual misconduct, including a San Bernardino cleric who was convicted of molesting a child.
Earlier this year, Riverside County prosecutors filed 58 sexual-abuse charges against Jesús Armando Dominguez, Straling's onetime personal aide in the Inland diocese. Straling has expressed disappointment about the accusations.
Several former Inland priests stand accused in civil litigation of sexually abusing children during Straling's tenure. But the departing prelate said Tuesday that the ongoing clergy sexual-abuse crisis in the Catholic Church did not influence his decision to retire.