Steps Towards a Clearer Policy on Bishops Accused of Abusing Minors
Cardinal Seán O’Malley
On July 24, 2018, Cardinal Sean O’Malley, archbishop of Boston and president of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors (CPPM), pleaded for the implementation of a “solid and complete” policy in response to accusations of abuse involving bishops.
The statement published by the archdiocese of Boston came one month after the accusations against Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, archbishop emeritus of Washington, D.C. The prelate has since been forbidden to celebrate Mass in public by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Holy See Secretary of State, at the request of the Holy Father himself.
On Saturday, July 28, the Holy See Press Office released a statement announcing that Pope Francis had accepted the prelate’s resignation from the college of cardinals.
For Cardinal O’Malley, there is an urgent need to create a clear procedure; failure to do so “will threaten and endanger the already weakened moral authority of the Church and can destroy the trust required” for priests to exercise their ministry.
Instituted in 2014, the CPPM is an advisory organism that serves the pope; its goal is to provide an appropriate response to abuse committed against minors.
In February 2018, Pope Francis renewed the CPPM’s mandate for another three-year term.
Sources: cath.ch / Imedia / Vatican News / FSPPX.News – 8/1/2018
