The diocese of Pittsburgh revealed Thursday that Washington D.C. Cardinal Donald Wuerl was aware of accusations of sexual misconduct against former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick as far back as 2004, despite Wuerl’s insistence that he had heard nothing about them until 2018.
Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich is denying a report that he and Washington, DC, Cardinal Donald Wuerl collaborated to formulate an alternate plan for bishop accountability in abuse claims ahead of a meeting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).
ROME — Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Washington, DC, Cardinal Donald Wuerl on Friday but asked him to stay on as “Apostolic Administrator” of the archdiocese until a permanent successor is appointed.
Washington’s Cardinal Donald Wuerl announced his upcoming resignation Tuesday, saying he intends to travel to Rome to discuss with Pope Francis his departure from the archdiocese he currently leads.
A protester shouted “Shame on you!” at Cardinal Donald Wuerl during mass Sunday as the Archbishop of Washington DC asked for loyalty to Pope Francis.
Francis recommends silence to counter those who “only seek scandal,” in what appeared to be a response to claims that he covered up sex abuse.
Nearly 80,000 people have signed a Change.org petition urging Pope Francis to strip Cardinal Donald Wuerl of his position as archbishop of Washington, DC.
Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro told NBC’s Today on Tuesday that they have evidence in hand suggesting the Vatican knew of both the sexual abuses committed by priests in Pennsylvania and the ensuing cover-up by Church officials.
According to Viganò, Cardinal Wuerl was “well aware of the continuous abuses committed by Cardinal McCarrick and the sanctions imposed on him by Pope Benedict,” and yet he dismissed Benedict’s sanctions, still allowing McCarrick “to reside at a seminary in Washington D.C.”
On Wednesday, the Pittsburgh diocese announced that the Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic High School would remove the priest’s name.
“Men at the highest levels of the Church knew the rumours about McCarrick and took no action,” Schmitz writes. “As a result, the allegations have gravely damaged the credibility of the whole hierarchy.”
John Zmirak, senior editor at The Stream and author of “The Politically Incorrect Guide to Catholicism,” advocates use of financial pressure against the Catholic Church to address the sexual abuse scandal following Tuesday’s grand jury report regarding a systematic cover-up of sexual abuse in Pennsylvania dioceses.
At least 1,000 children were molested by Roman Catholic priests in Pennsylvania, as church officials took steps to cover it up, according to a grand jury report.
