The Manchester Union Leader

Page 1 Editorial:
For the good of the church, the bishop should step aside
By JOSEPH W. McQUAID
Publisher

WE WISH IT WOULD all just disappear. We wish that neither our newspaper nor our church pews were filled with headlines and literature dealing with priests as pedophiles, the Catholic Church hierarchy as enablers, or the payoffs and coverups that have provided fodder for the church’s enemies and brought anguish to the many good priests and religious in our communities.
But this scandal is not going to disappear. It is going to take years of work and, yes, prayer to try to rebuild the trust that has been damaged so seriously and in so many ways. New Hampshire has not escaped that damage and, unfortunately, Bishop John B. McCormack’s past role elsewhere makes the task here even more difficult.
To his credit, the bishop has tried to explain his actions — and inaction — during his tenure in the Boston Archdiocese. He vows to continue to do so, in meetings around the state. But his statements to date have been far from reassuring.
Whether through naivete or bureaucratic blindness or something else, it appears that his role in dealing with some truly deviant and despicable individuals was, if not incompetent, then certainly inadequate. That is not the kind of picture that is going to raise spirits or restore the confidence the church must have to carry on its charitable work.
“We can do better,” the Catholic Church now seems to be saying. We hope so. And while we believe that Bishop McCormack sincerely wants to help restore the trust that has been lost, that may be an impossible task for him. The Diocese of Manchester now needs leadership that has not been tarnished by this scandal. In the best interest of all, he should step aside as bishop.