President of U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Renews Commitment for
Greater Effectiveness and Transparency in Disciplining Bishops
August 27, 2018
WASHINGTON— Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of
Galveston-Houston, President of the United
States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has issued the following
statement.
Cardinal DiNardo’s full statement follows:
“In communion with the Holy Father, I join
the Executive Committee of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
(USCCB) in taking upon ourselves his exhortation, ‘this open wound [of abuse]
challenges us to be firm and decisive in the pursuit of truth and justice.’
“On August 1st, I promised that USCCB
would exercise the full extent of its authority, and would advocate before
those with greater authority, to pursue the many questions surrounding
Archbishop McCarrick. On August 16th, I called for an Apostolic Visitation,
working in concert with a national lay commission granted independent
authority, to seek the truth. Yesterday, I convened our Executive
Committee once again, and it reaffirmed the call for a prompt and thorough
examination into how the grave moral failings of a brother bishop could have
been tolerated for so long and proven no impediment to his advancement.
“The recent letter of Archbishop Carlo
Maria Viganò brings particular focus and urgency to this examination. The
questions raised deserve answers that are conclusive and based on evidence.
Without those answers, innocent men may be tainted by false accusation and the
guilty may be left to repeat sins of the past.
“I am eager for an audience with the Holy
Father to earn his support for our plan of action. That plan includes
more detailed proposals to: seek out these answers, make reporting of abuse and
misconduct by bishops easier, and improve procedures for resolving complaints
against bishops. Inspired by his recent letter to the people of God, and
his motu proprio of two years ago, As a Loving Mother, I am
confident Pope Francis shares our desire for greater effectiveness and
transparency in the matter of disciplining bishops. We renew our fraternal
affection for the Holy Father in these difficult days.
“To the survivors of abuse and the
families who have lost a loved one to abuse, I am sorry. You are no
longer alone. Since 2002, hundreds of professionally trained staff across
the country have been working with the Church to support survivors and prevent
future abuse. Nationwide, the Church has a zero-tolerance policy toward
priests and deacons who abuse, safe environment training, background checks for
those working around children, victim assistance coordinators, prompt reporting
to civil authorities, and lay review boards in dioceses.
“In other ways, we have failed you.
This is especially true for adults being sexually harassed by those in
positions of power, and for any abuse or harassment perpetrated by a
bishop. We will do better. The more she is buffeted by storms, the more I
am reminded that the Church’s firm foundation is Jesus Christ. The
failures of men cannot diminish the light of the Gospel. Lord, by the
help of your mercy, show us the way to salvation.”
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Keywords: United States Conference of
Catholic Bishops, USCCB, Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo, Pope Francis, Executive
Committee, Archbishop McCarrick, Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, Apostolic
Visitation, national lay commission, independent authority, motu proprio,
As a Loving Mother, clergy sex abuse, survivors, zero-tolerance, safe
environment, victim assistance coordinators, civil authorities, truth, justice
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Media Contact:
Judy Keane
202-541-3200