Boston Archbishop: Pope Must Punish Bishops Who Turn Blind Eye to Pedophiles

The next Pope must punish bishops who’ve allowed child-abusing priests to remain in the church, the Archbishop of Boston has suggested.

Cardinal Sean O’Malley told The Boston Globe that the successor to Pope Benedict has to take steps to deal with bishops whose “malfeasance” allowed abusive priests to stay active.

“There needs to be a path” for disciplining bishops, O’Malley told the Globe.

“Right now, it’s not terribly clear, but it’s something the next pope will have to deal with … My point is always that if you don’t have policies, you’ll be improvising, and when you improvise, you make a lot of mistakes.’’

The interview was conducted at the Pontifical North American College in Rome, where O’Malley is meeting with other cardinals from around the world to choose the new pontiff.

“Growing up a Catholic and knowing a little bit about these traditions and the way the Holy Father is selected in the church — it’s a far cry from seeing it up close and being part of it,” O’Malley, who is himself considered an outsider to be the next choice, told the Globe.

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