web1_Tamra-Smith-photo.CMYK_.jpg

Embattled Wyoming Borough manager has resigned

web1_awards1.jpg

Times Leader Media Group honored as Legacy Business of Year

Baltimore is a great destination for a quick getaway, whether you&#8217;re seeking sports and recreation, history, culture or special events.For those interested in rooting out the scourge of sex abuse by the clergy, this week the Charm City has been hosting the three-day U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops&#8217; general assembly, which kicked off on Monday.Apologies to those of you who are not Catholic bishops, though.Your best shot would have been to stand outside the venue with protesters, hoping to convince that group of distinguished churchmen to work harder at protecting children and youth from the predators who have had such a longstanding presence among their fraternity.But if you&#8217;re a retired bishop whose tenure was marked by numerous shocking cases of sex abuse by priests, many of whom you allegedly moved from parish to parish, by all means feel free to walk right in.Scranton Bishop Emeritus James Timlin did.If one of our editors hadn&#8217;t spotted Timlin in an Associated Press photo taken Monday at the event, would anyone in the community have known he was there?Would the diocese have announced it? Would USCCB have announced it?When we reached out to the diocese on Monday, spokesman Bill Genello offered a succinct response via email.&#8220;While Bishop Timlin is forbidden from representing the Diocese of Scranton, membership in the USCCB and attendance at conferences is beyond the control of Bishop (Joseph) Bambera,&#8221; Genello wrote Monday night.&#8220;Bishop Bambera asked Bishop Timlin not to attend,&#8221; Genello concluded.Efforts to reach Genello on Tuesday with follow-up questions were not immediately successful.The USCCB, meanwhile, has not responded at all.If either is listening, here are our basic questions:1. What was Timlin doing there?2. Who paid for his trip?We&#8217;re not the only ones wondering. Our readers &#8212; many of them Catholic &#8212; are asking those questions, too.Did Timlin go down to offer well-intentioned bishops sincere advice on how not to shelter pedophiles in their midst, based on more than two decades of egregious abuse cases in Scranton?Did the bills and coins dropped into the collection plates of Northeastern Pennsylvania parishes by pious hands help fund Timlin&#8217;s junket? If so, does Bambera have any control over Timlin&#8217;s spending?More important, though, is that first question.Was he there just to rub shoulders with fellow members of this elite club, or does Timlin have some input during its deliberations?If so &#8212; and pardon our language &#8212; how the hell does a man who allowed the diocese to repeatedly fail children deserve to have any say over such matters at a national level?At the very least, does he have no sense of how bad this looks? Is he tone-deaf or just arrogant? After being told by his bishop that he may never again represent the diocese in public, it took a staggering amount of gall to defy Bambera and disrespect abuse victims in this way.Interestingly, we learned through other media that Timlin was in good company.Also attending in Baltimore was former Kansas City Bishop Robert Finn, who was convicted of a misdemeanor conviction six years ago for waiting several months before telling police that explicit images of young girls had been discovered on a priest&#8217;s computer.History will not be kind to either man, and deservedly so.The diocesan response to Timlin&#8217;s trip is equally troubling: Like Pilate washing his hands before the crowd, it seems Bambera wanted us to know he could do no more.Is it any wonder so many disillusioned Catholics have washed their hands of the church? &#8212; Times Leader<style>
.neFileBlock {
	margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
	margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
	border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
	padding-bottom: 5px;
	padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
	font-size: 85%;
}
</style>
<div class='neFileBlock'>
<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/web1_PSD091315LaborDay_3-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Timlin </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/web1_PSD091315LaborDay_3-2.jpg</photo0><caption0>Timlin </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>

Our View: Timlin’s attendance at conference a disgrace