The Pope has convened a meeting in Rome this week with the leaders of the American Catholic Church to take stock of the intense waves of sexual abuse scandals plaguing the parishes across the country. In attendance were: Cardinal Sean O’Malley of Boston, president of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors; Archbishop Jose Gomez, vice president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops; and Monsignor Brian Bransfield, the conference’s general secretary. The meeting was called in response to the abuse allegations and forced the resignation of former Washington D.C. archbishop, Cardinal Theodore McCarrick at the forefront of discussion. McCarrick has been accused of sexually abusing a teenage altar boy in 1971, coercing seminary students to sleep in his bed and sexual misconduct with adults during his time as archbishop of New York.
Within the span of the Papal meeting announcement and the meeting itself, the Pope accepted the resignation of West Virginia bishop, Michael Bransfield, following allegations of sexual harassment. The archbishop of Baltimore, William Lori, has been assigned to oversee the dioceses and begin a church-run investigation, but no details have been released regarding the extent of the allegations. “My primary concern is for the care and support of the priests and people of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston at this difficult time,” said Lori in a statement from the Baltimore Archdicoses. “I further pledge to conduct a thorough investigation in search of the truth into the troubling allegations against Bishop Bransfield and to work closely with the clergy, religious and lay leaders of the diocese until the appointment of a new bishop.”
They also discussed the archbishop of Washington, Cardinal Donald Wuerl’s resignation following his association with his predecessor McCarrick, and the release of a grand jury report in Pennsylvania detailing the breadth of the sexual abuse across six dioceses in the state. Wuerl previously served as archbishop of Pittsburgh and the report has found that church leaders covered up the crimes of more than 300 priests that sexually abused over 1,000 children since 1947. Wuerl has been accused of having knowledge of these abuses and allowing the accused priests to remain and move up in the ministry nonetheless. Wuerl has denied that any information about McCarrick had been brought to his attention and acknowledges “errors in judgment’ in the handling of the charges of abuse in Pittsburgh which he otherwise defends.
There has been harsh criticism over the Pope’s handling of sexual abuse scandals, especially in his refusal to comment on the 11-page letter released in August claiming the Vatican’s knowledge of the abuse since 2000 and the Pope’s since at least 2013. The letter was written by former Vatican Ambassador, Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, which accused over two dozen Vatican and U.S. officials of being aware of McCarrick’s crimes and actively covering it up. It allowed him to move up in the ranks despite orders by former Pope Benedict XVI. In the letter, Vignaò wrote, “Bishops and priests, abusing their authority, have committed horrendous crimes to the detriment of their faithful, minors, innocent victims and young men eager to offer their lives to the Church, or by their silence have not prevented that such crimes continue to be perpetrated.” Following questioning by journalists regarding the letter, the Pope stated, “I will not say a single word about this,” and that the letter “speaks for itself.”
Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, president of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops and archbishop of Galveston-Houston has also been accused of covering up abuse in his own archdioceses and is involved in an ongoing arrest of Rev. Manuel LaRosa-Lopez for sexually abusing a female parishioner. This Cardinal made a statement on behalf of the Vatican and the substance of the meeting:
“We shared with Pope Francis our situation in the United States — how the Body of Christ is lacerated by the evil of sexual abuse. He listened very deeply from the heart. It was a lengthy, fruitful, and good exchange. As we departed the audience, we prayed the Angelus together for God’s mercy and strength as we work to heal the wounds. We look forward to actively continuing our discernment together identifying the most effective next steps.”
DiNardo nor the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops have announced any new policies or actions to be taken in the wake of this ongoing sexual abuse scandal. More news is sure to break in the coming days as more information is released regarding the investigations.