CATHOLIC CHURCH Bishops elect a new leader

Advocates for sexual abuse victims opposed the new chief's candidacy.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A bishop whose diocese plans to seek bankruptcy protection from millions of dollars in clergy sex abuse claims was elected today as the next president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Bishop William Skylstad of Spokane, Wash., was elected overwhelmingly to succeed Bishop Wilton Gregory of Belleville, Ill., who is ending his three-year term after leading the conference through the height of the clergy sex abuse crisis. Out of a field of 10 candidates, Bishop Skylstad received 120 votes, far more than any other bishop.
Advocates for abuse victims had opposed the Bishop Skylstad's candidacy, saying he was trying to avoid responsibility for mishandling priests who molested young people. Some church observers had also wondered whether the bishops would want their top leader to come from a diocese embroiled in abuse-related financial problems.
However, Bishop Skylstad had already served three years as conference vice president and every vice president who has sought the presidency has won.
Bishop Skylstad made no immediate comment on his election, as the bishops continued the first day of their fall meeting.
His role
The bishops' president does not set policy, but represents U.S. bishops to the Vatican and acts as chief spokesman for the American church, among other duties.
For much of the past three years, that has meant Bishop Gregory has been the public face of the bishops, discussing their new safeguards against abuse and their efforts to restore trust in their leadership.
Bishop Gregory opened the assembly with his final presidential address, apologizing for any mistakes he made as he led the church through the abuse crisis and urging his fellow prelates to resolve internal differences that have emerged during the scandal. Bishop Skylstad will succeed him as president at the end of this week's meeting.
Under Bishop Gregory, the bishops adopted a binding policy on how to respond to abuse claims that includes barring offenders from church work. They also formed a national lay watchdog panel to help oversee the plan.
Throughout the changes, Bishop Gregory has been caught among warring factions: victims who say the policy is too weak and bishops who consider it draconian; lay people seeking more say in how dioceses are governed and conservatives demanding bishops reassert their authority over the church.
The discipline policy, that the bishops approved in their June 2002 meeting in Dallas, is now undergoing review. Bishop Gregory urged his fellow bishops keep working on reforms to restore trust in their leadership.
Tobin in attendance
Bishop Thomas J. Tobin, leader of the Diocese of Youngstown, is attending the meeting through Thursday, a spokeswoman said. He serves on the administrative committee, which plans the conference and its agenda.
Bishop Tobin also is a member of the board of directors of Catholic Relief Services and is chairman of the Committee for Pastoral Practice.
Later in the week, the bishops will consider starting a multiyear initiative to strengthen marriage.
and hear an update from their task force on how bishops should respond to Catholics in public life who do not follow church teachings.
The issue arose when Democrat John Kerry, a Catholic who backs abortion rights, became his party's nominee for president and St. Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke said he would withhold the sacrament from the Massachusetts senator.