Bishop Fabien Bruskewitz of Lincoln, Nebraska--who has steadfastly refused to cooperate with the National Review Board's annual audits since they began--has a few choice words for the chairwoman of the NRB. As reported in Catholic World News, he released the following statement in response to the latest round of audits:

Some woman named Patricia O'Donnell Ewers, who is the Chair of something called "A National Review Board for the Protection of Children and Young People", has said that her Board "calls for strong fraternal correction of the Diocese of Lincoln." The Diocese of Lincoln has nothing to be corrected for, since the Diocese of Lincoln is and has always been in full compliance with all laws of the Catholic Church and with all civil laws. Furthermore, Ewers and her Board have no authority in the Catholic Church and the Diocese of Lincoln does not recognize them as having any significance.It is well known that some of the members of Ewers' Board are ardent advocates of partial birth abortion, other abortions, human cloning, and other moral errors. It is understandable then how such persons could dislike the Diocese of Lincoln, which upholds the moral teaching of the Catholic Church.The words attributed to Ewers seem to confirm the suspicion that the members of her Board are unfamiliar with Catholic teachings, Catholic ecclesiology, and even the basic rudiments of the Catholic Catechism. Rather than concerning themselves with the Diocese of Lincoln about which they appear completely ignorant, Ewers and her colleagues would occupy themselves in a better way by learning something about the Catholic religion and the traditions and doctrines and laws of the Catholic Church.The Diocese of Lincoln does not see any reason for the existence of Ewers and her organization.

I like how he puts the Review Board in scare quotes, and makes it sound either like science fiction (what is this so-called Review Board you speak of? ) or some vigilante group organized by Catholic insurgents--rather than a body created by the U.S. bishops in response to the scourge of clergy sexual abuse they hadn't been handling very well on their own. That, quite apart from the bishop's laundry list of doctrinal distractions, is precisely why the Catholic Church needs the NRB. Perhaps Lincoln doesn't get the Chicago newspapers.

Grant Gallicho joined Commonweal as an intern and was an associate editor for the magazine until 2015. 

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