The diocese of Bishop Wilton Gregory, president of the US bishops’ conference, who said that the Scandal is now “history” has been held in contempt of court for refusing to release records of a priest accused of abuse. You’d think these bishops would have learned their lesson long ago, but no. Despite all the happy talk of wanting to cooperate with victims, with leaving an era of secrecy and obstruction behind, it’s the same old game. And I mean “game.”
Mark E. Chopko, general counsel for the bishops’ conference, said that such contempt rulings were “a very common legal device,” and that the church had been sanctioned before in cases that involved sexual abuse by members of the clergy.
A legal device. Never mind truth or justice, it’s about what you can get away with. It’s not just the court that holds them in contempt.
