Bishop says gravity of sex scandal eluded many
PITTSBURGH (AP) – American bishops did not realize the full nature of the priest sex scandal over the past decades and viewed pedophilia as a moral failure, according to the head of the Diocese of Pittsburgh. “Bishops did not understand the gravity of what we were dealing with,” Bishop Donald Wuerl said during a taping of “KC/PG Sunday Edition” for this week.
Wuerl has removed several priests from active ministry because of alleged sexual misconduct. None of the priests, who have not been named, have been charged with any crime.
Wuerl said priest pedophilia “was looked at as a moral failure, as alcoholism was once looked upon as a moral failure.”
Another factor, Wuerl said, has been the church’s mission to serve as a spiritual counselor. Many allegations were not reported because families did not want to take them to police, he said.
“Most people who come to church don’t come to report crimes … they want to be made whole again,” he said.
Wuerl said the allegations of abuse facing the country involve “a fraction” of the priests serving the Catholic Church.
The diocese, which oversees about 750,000 Catholics, includes more than 300 active priests in southwestern Pennsylvania.