Cardinal: Bishops Were Misled on Abuse

It was suggested here and by many others that Pope Benedict XVI needs to address the role of certain bishops in covering up for priests who sexually abused minors.

That looks unlikely.

Cardinal William Levada, head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, told reporters at a Manhattan lunch today that the bishops were misled by poor advice from experts. David Gibson, author of "The Rule of Benedict," a biography of the pope, reports that Levada said: "I personally do not accept that there has been a broad base of bishops guilty of aiding and abetting pedophiles...If I thought there were, I would certainly want to talk to them about that."

Levada, former archbishop of San Francisco, is the highest-ranking American at the Vatican.