PITTSBURG (PA)
Pittsburg Post-Gazette
Thursday, May 29, 2003
By Ann Rodgers-Melnick, Post-Gazette Staff Writer
As the lay review board responsible for overseeing the U.S. Catholic bishops’ response to child sexual abuse prepares to meet in Pittsburgh next week, some bishops are balking at an extensive questionnaire that the board commissioned for a study of priests who sexually abuse minors.
Two bishops and a review board member said they believe most bishops will cooperate if their concerns are addressed. But reports from canon law circles indicate that at least a dozen bishops have refused cooperation due to fears their answers could be used against them in court.
“The bishops we have talked to who did have some initial concerns have all — at least those I have been present for — said that they want to cooperate,” said review board member William Burleigh, board president of the E.W. Scripps Co.
