Catholic Bishops Plan a Complaint Hotline for Sex Abuse

By Laurie Goodstein
New York Times
September 19, 2018

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/19/us/catholic-bishops-sex-abuse-hotline.html

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 on 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.