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Top US bishop up for sex abuse
09/03/2006 22:36 - (SA)
Seattle - The president of the US
Conference of Catholic Bishops, Bishop William Skylstad, has
been accused of sexually abusing a child in the early 1960s,
according to a statement issued by the Spokane, Washington
diocese.
Skylstad, who is also the Spokane, Washington, bishop,
denied the accusation in the statement on Wednesday.
"I have kept the promise of celibacy that I made when I was
ordained a deacon 47 years ago," Skylstad said.
The latest allegation in the sex abuse scandal at the
Spokane diocese surfaced before a Friday deadline to file a
claim for past cases of abuse by Spokane clergy.
The Spokane Spokesman-Review newspaper reported that a
woman, who was less than 18 years old in early 1960s, filed the
claim on December 27, saying the abuse took place at Gonzaga
University and another local parish.
Skylstad was a student at Gonzaga from 1962 to 1966.
The Spokane diocese, one of three in the United States to
file for bankruptcy because of sex abuse claims, offered 75
victims of priest paedophilia a $45.75m joint settlement
last month.
At a news conference to announce the settlement offer,
Skylstad apologied to the victims on behalf of the diocese.
Part of the settlement proposal also required Skylstad to
advocate for the elimination of statutes of limitations for sex
crimes and to write letters of apology to the families and
victims of abuse.
- Reuters
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