VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis is calling the presidents of every Catholic bishops’ conference in the world to Rome Feb. 21-24 to discuss the prevention of the abuse of minors and vulnerable adults.
The Vatican made the announcement Sept. 12 after the pope and members of his Council of Cardinals wrapped up three days of meetings.
The members present “extensively reflected together with the Holy Father on the matters of abuse” during their deliberations Sept. 10-12, the council said in a written communique. Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley of Boston, president of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, also updated those present with the commission’s ongoing efforts.
The next day, the leaders of the U.S. bishops’ conference said they shared with the pope how the church in the United States has been “lacerated by the evil of sexual abuse.”
“He listened very deeply from the heart,” they said a statement released after the meeting Sept. 13.
Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo, USCCB president, met the pope at the Vatican along with Cardinal O’Malley, Archbishop Jose H. Gomez of Los Angeles, USCCB vice president, and Msgr. J. Brian Bransfield, USCCB general secretary.
The USCCB statement described the encounter as “a lengthy, fruitful and good exchange,” but did not enter into details about what was discussed or whether any concrete measures were taken or promised.
“We look forward to actively continuing our discernment together, identifying the most effective next steps,” the statement said.
Cardinal DiNardo originally announced that he was requesting a meeting with Pope Francis Aug. 16. The request followed the release of the Pennsylvania grand jury report on sexual abuse cases in six Pennsylvania dioceses and the announcement of credible allegations of child sexual abuse committed by Archbishop Theodore E. McCarrick, the former cardinal-archbishop of Washington.
Two dioceses also had announced allegations of inappropriate contact between Archbishop McCarrick and seminarians, resulting in settlements totaling more than $100,000.
In his Aug. 16 statement, Cardinal DiNardo said the USCCB Executive Committee had established three goals: “an investigation into the questions surrounding Archbishop McCarrick; an opening of new and confidential channels for reporting complaints against bishops; and advocacy for more effective resolution of future complaints.”
The U.S. bishops specifically requested the Vatican conduct an apostolic visitation into questions surrounding Archbishop McCarrick. Opening a new process for reporting complaints against bishops and the resolution of such complaints also would require the support and involvement of the Vatican, since only the pope has the authority to discipline or remove bishops.
Following allegations by Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano that Pope Benedict XVI had imposed sanctions on Archbishop McCarrick and that those sanctions had been ignored by Pope Francis, Cardinal DiNardo issued another statement Aug. 27 reiterating his call “for a prompt and thorough examination into how the grave moral failings of a brother bishop could have been tolerated for so long.”
Archbishop Vigano’s statement “brings particular focus and urgency to this examination,” the cardinal’s statement said. “The questions raised deserve answers that are conclusive and based on evidence.”
“I myself am filled with hope,” said Cardinal DiNardo after the private meeting with the pope, “but I also realize all these things might take purpose and time.”
“The Holy Father is the important figure for us in this,” he said. “He sees the problem all over the church and throughout the world.”
While the cardinal did not want to discuss the specifics of the meeting beyond a statement released by the U.S. bishops, he did describe the encounter as “very, very fruitful.”
“The pope is well informed,” the cardinal said, “and he’s also very, very attentive to what has happened to abuse victims in the church in the United States.”
It had been a whirlwind week for the cardinal. He arrived in Rome Sept. 12, following a meeting with the U.S. bishops’ Administrative Committee to set the agenda for the November general assembly in Baltimore of all of the country’s bishops.
Cardinal DiNardo described the Administrative Committee meeting as “sober.”
“I thought there was a good deal of unity of the bishops on where we need to go” and on the fact that “we have to move into action” in terms of addressing the abuse crisis, he said. The cardinal said the bishops must be “united in purpose on solutions.”
When asked about the three priorities after the meeting with the pope, the cardinal said: “I think we can make movement on those things. I think we have to do it step by step.”
Since Aug. 1, Cardinal DiNardo has issued five statements responding to various aspects of the sexual abuse crisis and has called for greater transparency and accountability in the church, particularly on the part of the bishops.
When asked what role there could be for Catholic media, he said “they have to tell the truth in a way that is very balanced.”
Acknowledging the anger and even “rage” among some commentators, he said the task of Catholic media is “speaking the truth, but never forgetting the role of charity.”
When asked where he finds hope during the current wave of scandals and controversy, he said, “Our trust is in the Lord.”
“Even the pope today mentioned the cross, that you need to … be crucified with the Lord — that’s the only way you can deal with this, go through it. You have to listen to other people, and you hope that in that shared vision of mission, of cooperating together, you grow in hope,” he said.
In related news, Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl of Washington told his priests in a letter dated Sept. 11 that he would meet soon with Pope Francis to request that he accept the resignation the cardinal submitted three years ago when he turned 75.
Cardinal Wuerl has been under heavy criticism following the release of the Pennsylvania grand jury report in mid-August that detailed sexual abuse that more than 1,000 people alleged they suffered at the hands of 300 priests and other church workers over the past seven decades in six dioceses in that state.
The dioceses included Pittsburgh, which was headed by then-Bishop Wuerl from 1988 until he was named archbishop of Washington in 2006.
Cardinal Wuerl has defended his record in Pittsburgh, saying he reached out to survivors there, removed all priests credibly accused of abuse from parish ministry, and enacted strong child protection measures.
Carol Glatz in Rome and Greg Erlandson and Mark Zimmerman in Washington, D.C., contributed to this report.
Caption: Pope Francis meets with officials of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops at the Vatican Sept. 13. (l. to r.): Archbishop Jose H. Gomez of Los Angeles, USCCB vice president, Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, USCCB president, Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley of Boston, president of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, and Monsignor J. Brian Bransfield, USCCB general secretary. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)
As published in Horizons, Sept. 30, 2018.
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