American Cardinal Sean O’Malley has been appointed to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), a move that will be interpreted as an attempt by Pope Francis to better integrate child protection strategies at the highest echelons of the Church.
The appointment of Boston’s archbishop, who is also president of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, could have the effect of improving the lines of communication between the CDF and the commission.
Although the main responsibility of the Congregation is to defend Catholic teaching, since 2001 the CDF has become the main Vatican body to handle accusations of clerical abuse.
There had been rumours in Rome that the Pope would remove this responsibility to another department, but the appointment of O’Malley suggests this will not be the case.
Just last month, on the Feast of the Holy Innocents, the Pope wrote to all the bishops of the Church calling on them to adopt a “zero tolerance” approach to child abuse and to “renew our complete commitment to ensuring that these atrocities will no longer take place in our midst”. Today’s announcement further signals the Vatican’s intention to prioritise this issue.
Cardinal O’Malley will still be based in the archdiocese of Boston.
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