A post-McCarrick update

As I sit down to write this column, the presidents of the world’s Catholic bishops conferences likely are traveling to Rome.
 
From Feb. 21-24 they will participate in a Vatican summit with Pope Francis to address the clergy sexual abuse crisis that has enveloped the Church in many countries around the globe. The crisis, provoked by revelations of the sexual abuse of minors by clergy, has been exacerbated by the often inadequate and negligent responses of bishops to deal with these crimes.
 
There are many dimensions to this global crisis. Last summer, the case of Theodore McCarrick, however, was the lightning rod that sparked a renewed outcry in the United States and around the world.
 
The Holy See responded promptly to new credible allegations by removing McCarrick from the College of Cardinals and initiating an investigation, ordering him to a Kansas friary to begin a life of prayer and penance pending the outcome of that investigation.
 
A decisive step was taken last week with the decision to “laicize” McCarrick. Admittedly, there are many more questions that need to be addressed as investigators continue to peel back the layers of this bitter onion. A brief summary of some of the key facts follows.
 
On Jan. 11, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith convicted Theodore McCarrick on charges of sexual abuse of minors and solicitation in the confessional. After McCarrick’s immediate appeal, the decision was definitively upheld on Feb. 13.
 
He has been dismissed from the clerical state (meaning that he may no longer celebrate Mass or the sacraments or be referred to as a priest) making him the highest-ranking prelate in modern history to experience such a sudden fall. Though from a civil law standpoint this may seem an inadequate penalty, in canon law this is the ultimate penalty that the Church may impose on a cleric. He forfeits all canonical offices and any claim to support by the Church.
 
I pray that this decisive action will pave the way for meaningful outcomes during the upcoming global summit of bishops in Rome. While I do not know what those outcomes might be, it is my hope and expectation that they will pave the way for our own U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to move forward on the measures we had hoped to advance this past November. At that time, we were asked to wait until after this meeting to gain the input and perspective of the global Church.
 
The measures we will hope to advance include a structure for reporting allegations of abuse committed by bishops and a mechanism for investigating those allegations when they are made. It likely will include a code of conduct for bishops along the lines of the ones we already have for other clerics.
 
In many ways the Church in the United States is far ahead of the response of the Church in other nations as well as other public and private institutions. Our Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, adopted in 2002, has proven to be an effective platform for significant reforms and protections. It always can be improved.
 
So, what is happening locally? In the aftermath of the McCarrick allegations and the Pennsylvania grand jury reports last summer, I initiated an independent third-party review of our own clergy personnel files. It is being conducted by McAfee and Taft.
 
When completed, the report will include the names of clergy against whom we have received substantiated allegations of the sexual abuse of minors. It will include a report by McAfee and Taft on how we have handled allegations over the years.
 
In keeping with my pledge, we are striving to demonstrate our own accountability and transparency. I realize that nothing less than the Church’s credibility is at stake here.
 
We hope that the report will be ready some time before the end of March. Please continue to pray for all victims/survivors of abuse, especially those who have been abused by clergy. Our Church is in need of healing and purification.
 
Please pray for me and all of our clergy, that we may be good and faithful shepherds of God’s people.