The bishop of Münster laid siege to Groningen but failed.

When he decided the bishops of the Netherlands and Brazil were failing to uphold Roman Catholic orthodoxy, he called them to Rome for special meetings to straighten things out.

Some bishops and other church leaders failed to comprehend fully the extent and magnitude of the harm suffered by victims of sexual abuse by priests.

Swedish clergy and bishops failed to comply with initiatives for the keeping of church records during the 16th century, when most European countries were establishing such practices.

Under the gaze of the press, the bishops failed to approve the document, which had become increasingly conservative as it went through successive drafts.

At the beginning of the twentieth century, certain bishops tried but failed to abolish the cult of Saint Expeditus.

The bishop of Scipio had ridden hard to stop Ivie but failed to prevent the killing.

Matters came to a head in 1293 when the bishop and his steward failed to attend proceedings of quo warranto held by the justices of Northumberland.

Many victims of priests said they were disappointed that the bishops failed to insist that all priests who had abused minors be defrocked.

Despite the publicity that the case drew, the bishops have failed to implement a national policy on pedophilia, The Mercury News article charged.