BALTIMORE _ Facing the prospect of leaving their most closely watched gathering in years with no consensus response to the sex abuse crisis that has gripped their church since summer, the nation's Catholic bishops pushed Wednesday for something _ anything _ they might approve to show they were taking the problem seriously.
Some pushed again for a nonbinding vote backing proposals to hold themselves more accountable _ a half-measure suggested in deference to Vatican orders not to take any binding action until after a summit in Rome next year.
Others suggested a formal censure of one of their own _ Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, the former archbishop of Washington, whose ouster in July over sexual misconduct allegations reignited this latest phase of the crisis.
As the hours counted down to their scheduled adjournment Wednesday afternoon, the gathered prelates appeared gripped by a growing sense of panic at the idea of returning to their dioceses empty-handed.
"I'm convinced that there has to be some sort of consultative _ or straw _ vote," said Bishop Kevin Vann, of Orange, Calif. "We can't just sit back and do nothing. We have to make a statement."
As if to prove Vann's point, a small group of abuse victims resumed the near-constant vigil they have maintained since Monday outside the conference hotel, while Jeff Anderson _ an attorney who has devoted his practice to clergy sex abuse cases _ invited reporters to a lunch hour news conference across the street where he unveiled his latest lawsuit against bishops he blames for cover-ups and inaction.
The reception outside the building wasn't new for many of the bishops who have spent most of their time this week cloistered in a hotel ballroom. It's something many said they've experienced in their home dioceses.
"Our credibility has not been proven to the people sitting in the pews," said Richard Stika, bishop of Knoxville, Tenn.
Frustration among the members of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has been building since Monday, when their annual fall meeting in Baltimore began with an announcement that planned votes on four specific reform measures had been called off in deference to the Vatican's request.
But despite frequent calls since then for a vote of some kind, conference president Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, archbishop of Houston, has shown little appetite for any action that might appear defiant of Rome.
So discussion turned Wednesday to alternatives. McCarrick _ whose alleged sexual misconduct with seminarians and younger priests made him the poster child for this new era of the U.S. clergy abuse crisis _ became a frequent target.
Bishop Liam Cary, of Baker, Ore., said he was astounded that four months after allegations against the cardinal became public, the pope had asked him to resign but the U.S. Conference had not made any formal statement about his behavior.
"What are people to make of our silence?" he asked. "Could it lead them to believe we don't take shame seriously."
Cary's call for a formal vote of censure and a ban preventing McCarrick from attending any future meeting of the U.S. bishops' conference echoed those made by others and drew applause.
"He is not welcome, and we should say that out of respect for his sake and respect for those he harmed," said Bishop Michael Olson of Fort Worth.
Olson also suggested a vote repudiating the call from former papal diplomat Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano for Pope Francis' resignation. Vigano divided the hierarchy worldwide this summer with his claim that the pontiff had enabled McCarrick's rise despite knowledge of the abuse claims against him.
In the end, the bishops voted on whether to send a message to the Vatican to encourage the release of all documents surrounding McCarrick's alleged misconduct _ but even in that they disagreed. The measure ultimately failed.
"It appears to be a vote to do something, when in fact we're asking someone else to do something," said Olson. "It appears to be doing something, when in fact we're not."
McCarrick has not been seen among the more than 200 active and retired bishops gathered in Baltimore this week, but several bishops whose names have emerged at the forefront of this latest iteration of the crisis still mingled among the crowds.
Retired bishops Donald Trautman, James Timlin, and Donald Wuerl _ all of whom were sharply criticized in the Pennsylvania grand jury report in August for their handling of cases involving problem priests _ have circulated freely among colleagues since Monday and even weighed in on some of the proposed accountability measures.
Robert Finn _ former bishop of the diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, Mo., and the only U.S. prelate convicted of failing to report child abuse � also was spotted Tuesday.
Conference officials have said they do not have the authority to prevent bishops from attending the group's biannual conferences, although some members have asked colleagues facing problems to stay away.
The bishops' discussions are expected to continue with further debate over the proposed accountability measures they have been asked not to vote on. Those include a new code of conduct for bishops; a new role for laity in investigating problem prelates; and establishment of a third-party, independently run hotline for fielding complaints against bishops.
