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Last edited Thu Nov 13, 2025, 08:27 PM - Edit history (1)

If you're not among them, your opinion is worthless.

Catholic bishops who have been martyrs are numbered in the thousands.
The main examples of bishops who were martyred for Jesus are his apostles, eleven of whom were bishops -- James of Jerusalem, Paul of Antioch, Peter of Rome, etc. -- those three among the eleven.
Others over the centuries include Saint Thomas Becket, Saint Iuliu Hossu, and Saint John Fisher, but these are just a few prominent figures among a vast number of bishops who have been killed for their faith throughout history. 

Before the persecution of the Church ended around 313 AD, every pope and bishop martyred understood the risk of their role. Of the first 31 bishops of Rome -- the successors of St. Peter, the rock on whom Jesus said Jesus himself would build his church, and to whom Jesus gave the Keys to The Kingdom -- of those first 31 bishops of Rome (known as "papas" or popes), 28 were murdered for their faith.

During specific periods of intense persecution, like the Spanish Civil War, there were thousands of clerical victims, including many bishops.
Per the Catholic News Agency, the 20th century also saw many episcopal martyrs, such as the seven Romanian Greek-Catholic bishops killed by the communist regime.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Martyred_Roman_Catholic_bishops

So they DO die for Jesus and his Church -- one of the reasons (besides the words of the gospels and letters themselves) Jesus's 2,000 year old Church grew across 6 continents. He taught that we should be willing to die for our brothers.

Re your technically correct claim of bishops' guilt in covering up pedophilia...

1.
The former Bishop of Rome, Pope Francis, went to Canada, Bolivia, and Africa, where he begged for God's forgiveness for the sins of the Church, saying the Church "kneels before God to implore forgiveness for the sins of her children".

2.
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB)
In June 2002, the USCCB unanimously approved the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People (the "Dallas Charter " ), which established uniform procedures for handling abuse allegations. Key actions include:

"Zero Tolerance" Policy:
A commitment to permanent removal from ministry for any cleric with a credible accusation of child abuse.
Mandatory Reporting:
Bishops are required to follow civil reporting laws and alert authorities to allegations.
Safe Environment Programs:
Implementation of background checks for all Church employees and volunteers, along with training programs for adults and children on recognizing and reporting abuse.
National Review Board:
Creation of an external board, primarily composed of lay experts, to audit diocesan compliance and study the scope of the problem.
Financial Settlements:
Dioceses have paid billions in financial settlements to victims, leading some to declare bankruptcy.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_Church_sex_abuse_cases_in_the_United_States#:~:text=On%20May%205%2C%202020%2C%20the,total%20payout%20to%20$1.5%20billion.

3.
Which is right and just.
Every day in millions of Catholic churches' millions of Masses, full of church faithful throughout the world, repent and pray for forgiveness.
At the heart of each and every one of the million Masses, the priests, bishops and faithful ask God to overlook the sins of individuals and instead focus on the collective faith of the Church. The prayer is a plea for peace and unity within the Christian community, acknowledging human sinfulness while trusting in God's grace and the collective faith of believers: they pray

"...look not upon our sins, but the faith of your Church..." based on the verse from the Gospel of John (John 14:27), the only one of the twelve apostles who wasn't murdered, and who was the "apostle who Jesus loved." He wrote the last gospel, "The Gospel According to St. John," and
"The Revelation of St John The Divine"

Those who know Jesus's Church the least tend to be the most judgmental toward it.