Washington – The president of America’s Roman Catholic bishops defended American priests Monday, saying a “handful” of miscreants who sexually abused minors have forced the rest of the clergy “to endure an avalanche of negative public attention.”
Bishop William Skylstad of Spokane, Wash., told a meeting of the U.S. hierarchy that despite that scandal and job pressures caused by the declining numbers of clerics, three recent surveys show a “high level of morale among priests.”
He also said the overwhelming majority of lay parishioners “appreciate the job their priests are doing for them.”
But Voice of the Faithful, an independent reform group with 30,000 lay members, criticized the bishops for lack of consultation with parishioners and inadequate outreach to abuse victims.
Bishops approved Monday a 2006 national program budget with a $1.8 million deficit.
