Bishops reveal despair over crisis in Catholic Church

Deena Yellin
NorthJersey

Amid the ongoing sex abuse crisis in the Catholic Church, bishops have been the focus of particular anger, with many seen as complicit in allowing perpetrators to escape justice.

But even bishops who have not been implicated are feeling the sting of parishioners who are disillusioned and embittered. 

A recent book that explores the private lives of bishops asserts that our nation's roughly 262 active Catholic bishops maintain a precarious balancing act as religious leaders and conciliators who must deal with the fallout from the abuse crisis. 

Many of the bishops interviewed in "Catholic Bishops in the United States: Church Leadership in the Third Millennium" by Stephen Fichter say they must respond to parishioners who are angry about the church or questioning its leadership. 

In addition, the study found that many are overworked and sleep-deprived while they are grappling with heartbreaking problems.

"They sleep so little while they are working, working, working and dealing with so many negative things," Fichter said.  

Father Stephen Joseph Fichter, pastor Saint Elizabeth Church and author

One bishop quoted in the book spoke about his desk being "the magnet for all the negativity" in his diocese. Among the many stacks of papers covering his desk is one large pile devoted entirely to sexual abuse cases, which stretch back many years.

"It is all so sad. … One frustrating aspect of this is that most of these tragedies occurred before I was even ordained as a priest. ... And now it is my responsibility to deal with it, to somehow resolve it, to be accountable for it."

Fichter, who is the pastor at St. Elizabeth Church in Wyckoff, said bishops are feeling a special responsibility to help restore trust in the church and its leaders. Fichter is also a research associate for the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) at Georgetown University, who undertook the first-ever study of all U.S. Catholic bishops five years ago.    

Another bishop related that "I have met with many, many victims. And every story is unique, but the common denominator is pain."

At the same time, some admitted they had difficulty coming to terms with the horrific crimes that occurred within their beloved church.

"I experienced a tremendous sense of frustration and deep disappointment. Just thinking of the unimaginable victimhood of these innocent children was emotionally overwhelming," one bishop said in the book. 

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A bishop is a priest appointed by the pope who is in charge of a diocese and is empowered to celebrate two sacraments (confirmation and ordination) that cannot be performed by anyone else. 

In recent years, dozens of bishops across the country have been accused of failing to adequately respond to reports of sexual misconduct in their dioceses. Some, like Theodore McCarrick, the former archbishop of Newark who was recently defrocked, have been accused of sexual abuse themselves. 

Church critics complain there is a lack of oversight when it comes to bishops because they are appointed by the pope and can't easily be removed.

Former Newark priest-turned-victim-advocate Robert Hoatson is lobbying to get former Newark Archbishop John Myers defrocked for, Hoatson says, his protection of abusive priests, mistreatment of victims and retalitory behavior toward a whistle-blower. He recently protested in front of the Newark Archdiocese to make his case, and sent letters to the Vatican as well as to Cardinal Joseph Tobin about it. So far, there's been no response.   

"There is no accountability on bishops," said Hoatson, the president of Road to Recovery, a New Jersey-based non-profit that aids victims of sexual abuse. 

Robert Hoatson, co-founder and president of victims' advocacy group Road to Recovery, speaking in front of the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark

"It's very difficult to get rid of a bishop," he said. "They are like kings of their kingdoms. If the people are upset with a bishop, the only recourse they have is to go to the pope."

Fichter credited several bishops, especially Newark Archbishop Joseph Tobin, for being there to pray for and aid the victims.  

"They feel it's their sacred duty to listen to the victims and find ways to right the horrible wrongs of abuse," Fichter said. "They have a very difficult role, and there's a lot of responsibility on their shoulders." 

Fichter's latest book — his third about the American clergy — examines the the bishops' life experiences and daily activities as well as their challenges as church leaders.

What shocked him during the course of his research was how much less bishops sleep when compared with other men their own age. The bishops reported that they work 63 hours over an average of 6.3 days a week, and sleep 24 percent less per night than the average American.  

"Like many people who feel the weight of their serious responsibilities, the bishops deprive themselves of sleep to have more time for work, which for many of them never seem to end," Fichter said. 

"They literally sleep two hours less a night. ... If you total that up, it means that they are awake longer one full month per year," he said. "I don't know how healthy that is." 

"The responsibilities never stop. There's never a tiny pause any day of the year," a bishop of a large archdiocese is quoted in the book as saying about his ministry.  

In short, Fichter said, "Anyone who wants to be a bishop needs to have their head examined."

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