Mahony Denies Bishop Permission to Speak to LA Archdiocese Bishop's Book Asserts Celibacy As Cause of Church Sex Crimes, KNBC, June 8, 2008

Mahony Denies Bishop Permission to Speak to LA Archdiocese
Bishops Book Asserts Celibacy As Cause of Church Sex Crimes

KNBC
June 8, 2008

http://www.knbc.com/news/16543433/detail.html

That was the message from Cardinal Roger Mahony to Bishop Geoffrey Robinson of Australia, who is on a tour promoting his book, "Confronting Power and Sex in the Catholic Church," which asserts that the priestly vows of celibacy are at the root of sex crimes within the church, City News Service reported.

Cardinal Roger Mahony

"I hereby deny you permission to speak in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles," Mahony told Robinson, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Robinson, a former auxiliary bishop from Sydney, said his speaking tour would continue. His national book began in Philadelphia May 16. He is scheduled to speak this month in La Jolla, Costa Mesa, Culver City and San Francisco.

"I'm not looking for any confrontation," he told The Times, but said he has every intention on speaking as he sees fit.

The cardinal's decree affects only the archdiocese and has no legal effect.

Robinson's sponsors, members of the group Voices of the Faith, said the Australian bishop is merely furthering the message of Pope Benedict XVI, who told bishops two months ago that they have a "God-given responsibility as pastors to ... foster healing, to promote reconciliation and to reach out with loving concern to those so seriously wrong."