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	L.I. Bishop Will Meet 400 Priests in Effort to Heal Rift over Abuse Scandal By Patrick Healy The New York Times [Long Island NY] December 5, 2003 GARDEN CITY, N.Y., Dec. 4 — Bishop William F. Murphy, the leader of the Diocese of Rockville Centre, has agreed to meet with the 400 priests he oversees, a move that some Roman Catholics on Long Island are hailing as one of the first positive moves the bishop has made to deal with the church sex-abuse scandal. Bishop Murphy agreed to meet after 50 Long Island priests signed a letter calling for such a gathering. A church spokeswoman said it was unprecedented for the bishop to agree to meet with priests after a grass-roots request like this one. The spokeswoman, Joanne C. Novarro, and priests and parishioners said they hoped the meeting on Jan. 19, which will be closed to the public, would help to heal the rift between bishop and priests in the wake of the church's sexual-abuse crisis. The long letter to Bishop Murphy, written by four priests and signed by scores more, said they were not confident with the bishop's leadership and were unhappy with the way he related to other priests and to members of the church. Less strident than somber, the letter cited a "sadness and sense of desperation" among priests on Long Island. "There is open and public conflict that remains unresolved and it is the experience of many that life goes on under a dark cloud," the priests wrote. "What others and we experience is not an acceptable situation." Members of the Long Island chapter of Voice of the Faithful, a group of Catholic laity, have called for Bishop Murphy to resign, but they applauded his speedy decision to meet with the priests. "We're thrilled," said Gene Zirkel, a member of the group. "We think that the priests have stood up. There is a crisis, there is anger, and finally somebody's going to talk about it and maybe do something about it." The meeting was announced Wednesday, during what has not been an easy week for Bishop Murphy. Laura Ahearn, a national leader in the fight against child sex abuse, who advised Bishop Murphy for two years, called for his resignation, saying that the bishop placed more importance on covering up scandals than on helping children. And the Voice of the Faithful chapter criticized the bishop for allowing a former church official who faces child-molestation complaints to celebrate a few Masses. The meeting will come at an even more difficult time for priests, Ms. Novarro said. Many feel under siege as a result of the abuse scandal, and face additional pressure from falling contributions amid the day-to-day struggle to pay the bills, she said. The meeting between priests and the bishop will be moderated by the Rev. David Couturier, a Capuchin priest from White Plains. Ms. Novarro could not speculate on what they would discuss, but the priests' letter expressed a desire to hear Bishop Murphy discuss his relationship with priests and parishioners. Mr. Zirkel said the meeting would be successful only if there was a legitimate dialogue between the bishop and the priests.
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