Cardinal Donald Wuerl was due in Rome this week for discussions with Pope Francis about the cardinal’s resignation as Archbishop of Washington.
The United States prelate has been under pressure for his handling of clerical sexual abuse when he was Bishop of Pittsburgh, as described in the Pennsylvania Grand Jury Report. Cardinal Wuerl, who is 78 in November, formally submitted his resignation to Francis almost three years ago, as church law requires of all bishops when they reach 75.
But following the Grand Jury Report he flew to Rome in late August to meet with the Pope for talks about the abuse crisis. While the cardinal has announced a “season of healing” in the archdiocese, he wrote to priests saying he would travel to Rome for talks with the Pope about the resignation he submitted in 2015.
The cardinal is scheduled to preside and preach tomorrow (Sunday) at the 10.30 Mass at St Patrick’s, Rome, a parish that serves the American community.
On Thursday last week Francis met leaders of the US Church for crunch talks on the abuse crisis, which has drawn in the Pope following accusations by former nuncio to the US, Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, that Francis rehabilitated former Archbishop of Washington Theodore McCarrick, after McCarrick was sanctioned for sexually abusive behaviour with seminarians.
The US bishops who visited the Pope were Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, president of the bishops’ conference; Archbishop José Gomez of Los Angeles, vice president of the conference; Cardinal Seán O’Malley of Boston, president of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors; and Mgr J. Brian Bransfield, general secretary of the conference.
Cardinal DiNardo said he told the Pope that sexual abuse had “lacerated” the Church in the US. He said the Pope “listened very deeply from the heart” during what was “a lengthy, fruitful, and good exchange”. The cardinal added that the bishops were now “identifying the most effective next steps”, but did not spell out what those were.
As the US cardinals arrived in Rome, the Holy See announced that the Pope had ordered Archbishop of Baltimore, William Lori, to investigate harassment allegations against West Virginia Bishop Michael Bransfield. A Vatican communiqué added that Francis had accepted Bishop Bransfield’s resignation and given executive responsibility over Wheeling-Charleston Diocese to Archbishop Lori as an apostolic administrator. He will continue to lead Baltimore archdiocese.
Bishop Bransfield is the cousin of Mgr Bransfield. He was accused of sexual misconduct in 2007, when a Philadelphia priest. Church officials have launched a new investigation into claims he sexually harassed adults.
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