Bishop Gregory reflects on three turbulent years and changes to come

Published: 2004-11-15

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- In a Nov. 15 speech opening the last meeting he will chair, the outgoing president of the U.S. bishops emotionally thanked those who helped him through a tumultuous three years for the U.S. Catholic Church and predicted that "the conference as we know it is likely to be a much different conference five or 10 years from now." Bishop Wilton D. Gregory opened the annual meeting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops with the traditional president's address, in which he reflected on the difficulties of his term, particularly the sexual abuse crisis, which he called "the greatest scandal that the church in the United States perhaps has ever confronted." He commended the bishops, the National Review Board they created to address the sexual abuse crisis and others who have been involved in the process, but noted that "the work of the protection of children and young people in the church is a work of the whole church." Bishop Gregory, who heads the Diocese of Belleville, Ill., encouraged the bishops to support a study on the causes of abuse by clergy planned as a follow-up to one released earlier this year on the extent of abuse that has taken place in the church.

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