San Diego, Calif., Oct 3, 2018 / 09:00 am
Bishop Robert McElroy told a crowd of more than 300 people that he was committed to increasing accountability for bishops and to maintaining a zero-tolerance approach to abuse in the diocese. The San Diego bishop spoke at the first of eight public meetings scheduled to provide a forum for feedback from the laity on recent abuse scandals.
The meeting was held Oct. 1 at Our Mother of Confidence parish in University City, San Diego.
"These meetings will focus on seeking input from people in the pews on the pathway to such reform, listening to those who have been victimized by clerical sexual abuse either directly or in their families, and praying for God's grace to be our only guide," McElroy said in a statement announcing the fora which was distributed after weekend Masses in the diocese.
Bishop McElroy began the session Monday evening by acknowledging the "wrenching" effect that recent scandals had had on Catholics, and he invited the audience to help form the Church's response to the crisis.