Free Republic

[Catholic Caucus] Corrupt Cardinal, Corrupt PontificateThe hierarchical structure of the Catholic Church is partially responsible for why bishops, including the pope, are not investigated or accountable to any external oversight body. As a consequence, one should not be surprised that only 7 out of 150 bishops credibly accused of abusing minors or vulnerable adults have actually been laicized. In the United States, with less than 200 dioceses, “more than 130 U.S. bishops” have been accused of “failing to adequately respond to sexual misconduct in their dioceses.”The question of holding bishops accountable who engage in or cover up abuse has become...

American bishops 'cold' about new pro-Lgbt cardinalPope Francis' decision to make Robert McElroy a cardinal continues to cause debate across the Atlantic. For a Father James Martin who rejoices at the nomination of McElroy, the man he defines as "a friend of the LGBTQ community" and who was also "one of the first supporters of Building a Bridge”, there is a whole US Catholic world that grew up with the pontificates of John Paul II and Benedict XVI that is turning its nose up at the nomination.The reaction of the Bishops' Conference itself, led by the Archbishop of Los Angeles...

​​Pope Francis names 21 new cardinals, including Bishop Robert McElroy of San DiegoPope Francis announced on May 29 that he will create 21 new cardinals, 16 of them electors with a right to vote in the next conclave, including bishops Robert McElroy of San Diego, Calif., and Arthur Roche of England.The choice of Bishop McElroy is the biggest surprise of this consistory for the church in the United States. A graduate of Harvard, Stanford and the Pontifical Gregorian University, Bishop McElroy has demonstrated that he is one of the strongest supporters of the pope’s vision of church among the American...