Chicago
Cardinal: accused bishops must cede authority to lay people
Catholic bishops must renounce some of the authority they have over their dioceses to allow for lay people to investigate allegations against them, Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago has said. A new national investigative body “has to be some sort of lay oversight committee that is tasked with receiving accusations about bishops,” he said. The new body is necessary to rebuild trust between lay people and bishops. “I think we take our eye off the ball if we don’t deal with the business of privilege, power and protection of a clerical culture,” he told the National Catholic Reporter. “Those three elements have to be eradicated ... Everything else is a sideshow if we do not get at that.”
