LOS ANGELES, June 13 (UPI) -- A serious split at the senior level of the U.S. Roman Catholic Church appeared to be widening Friday.
Cardinal Roger M. Mahony, one of the most influential members of the Catholic hierarchy, questioned whether bishops should remove the chief overseer they appointed last year to monitor efforts to prevent sexual abuse by priests, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The overseer, former Oklahoma Gov. Frank Keating, sharply criticized Mahony and other bishops earlier this week, comparing unnamed bishops who have opposed his efforts to "La Cosa Nostra."
Mahony fired back Thursday, calling Keating's statements "off the wall" and "the last straw."
The U.S. bishops created the National Review Board, which Keating heads, last June at the height of the sex abuse scandal. The idea was to repair their credibility, which many bishops thought had been badly undermined by the scandal.
