Mostly, however, the structure of this meeting doesn’t leave much confidence of progress. The episcopacies involved in this meeting are the same that spent decades either covering up the abuse or doing their best to avoid dealing with it. The clerics have had sixteen years to clean up their acts, and they have failed to take the basic first steps of scandal resolution: full disclosure. Only in a few instances has that been imposed on the bishops, such as in Pennsylvania with a grand jury or in Minneapolis/St. Paul by a lawsuit and criminal indictment.

It’s time to call in the full Body of Christ to impose accountability on its leadership. That means finding a formal role for the laity in every diocese to oversee its operations, and having a seat at the table at this convocation to demand action now.