With every additional news story about a bishop behaving badly, it becomes increasingly galling to read the mealy-mouthed press releases from the LDS Church PR department proclaiming how strongly the church condemns child abuse or characterizing the criminal bishop as a “volunteer,” as if the church hierarchy has no role in selecting these bishops.
I did a quick and simple google news query of “LDS Bishop” recently. The top three stories were “LDS bishop charged with possession of child pornography,” “LDS Bishop convicted of exploiting a prostitute,” and “A former bishop who was excommunicated for advocating for policy change to protect children from clerical abuse.
What story does this tell about the LDS Church’s commitment to dealing with this problem? It’s time for the LDS leadership to back up its press releases with policy that more strongly protects congregants from their leaders. It’s clear the spirit of discernment alone isn’t working.
Kevin Curtis, Holladay
