The Catholic Church Fails Sexual Abuse Victims
By Dr.
César Chelala
October 15, 2018 "Information
Clearing House"
-
Pope Francis’ acceptance of the
resignation of Washington Cardinal Donald
Wuerl had raised hopes that an important
step had been taken in the sexual abuse
cases plaguing the Catholic Church. However,
by praising Cardinal Wuerl’s service to the
church, and keeping him as the archdiocese’s
caretaker until he appointed his successor,
Pope Francis gave a step backwards and
disappointed many sexual abuse victims.
According to a Pennsylvania grand jury
report on sexual abuse in the Catholic
Church released last August, six
Pennsylvania dioceses accused Cardinal Wuerl
of helping to protect some priests that
molested children while he was Bishop of
Pittsburgh from 1988 to 2006. The report
said Cardinal Wuerl had accepted the advice
of psychologists in allowing priests accused
of sexually abusing children to remain in
the ministry.
It also said that Cardinal Wuerl’s had been
mentioned more than 200 times in relation to
his poor handling of accusations against
abusing priests. Cardinal Wuerl tried to
deflect responsibility by saying that the
cases had occurred in the 1980s and 1990s
when the church hadn’t yet developed clear
policies on sexual abuse. “I think I did
everything that I possibly could,” Cardinal
Wuerl said in a television interview.
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The
incongruity of his defense was refuted after
drawing strong criticism. Cardinal Wuerl, in
a sad letter to his archdiocese, accepted
responsibility for the actions described in
the grand jury report, saying, “I wish that
I could redo some decisions I have made in
my three decades as a bishop and each time
get it right.” However, it must be stressed
that in addition to the cover up, the church
avoided reporting the abuses to the police.
Josh Shapiro, Pennsylvania’s attorney
general, said at the time that the grand
jury report clearly showed that Cardinal
Wuerl had participated in the cover-up.
Pope Francis, in accepting Cardinal Wuerl’s
resignation wrote, “You have sufficient
elements to ‘justify’ your actions and
distinguish between what it means to cover
up crimes or not to deal with problems, and
to commit some mistakes. However, your
nobility has led you not to choose this way
of defense. Of this, I am proud and thank
you.”
Pope Francis’ support for Cardinal Wuerl
could be explained by the archbishop’s
support for the social and political changes
that the Pope is trying to achieve within
the Catholic Church. The Pope himself is
being attacked by conservative members of
the church because of these actions. Given
the extent of Pope Francis’ intended
reforms, it is plausible that not too many
high officials in the church support him,
particularly if these actions curtail their
benefits.
By calling Cardinal Wuerl’s actions simply
“mistakes”, and by keeping him as a member
of the Congregation of Bishops, Pope Francis
doesn’t seem to realize the grave harm that
the priests’ actions have caused, and the
almost irreparable damage done to the
Catholic Church. The result of the abuse
carried out by thousands of priests around
the globe have left people psychologically
damaged, many of whom will probably never be
able to overcome the consequences of these
disgraceful incidents.
The credibility of the Catholic Church as an
institution has been shattered by the extent
of the abuses. Unless this is acknowledged,
and those guilty of the abuse or their
cover-up are properly investigated and
punished, the Catholic Church will continue
to lose believers in droves, and cease to be
the place of spiritual comfort that people
desperately need.
Dr. César Chelala is an international
medical consultant and writer.
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