At Vatican's Behest, Bishops Postpone Votes on Clergy Abuse Measures
By Jay Tokasz
U.S. bishops meeting here this week were directed by the Vatican not to vote on two measures aimed at disciplining themselves in sexual misconduct cases. Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston said Monday that he received word from the Vatican telling the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to delay their votes until the measures could be considered by all bishops worldwide at a special council planned for February. “Consultations will take place; votes will not take place this week,” said DiNardo, president of the USCCB, in his opening address to more than 250 colleague bishops. DiNardo said at a news conference later that the bishops were disappointed about the Vatican directive. But he called it a bump in the road to reforms, as the bishops seek to address a sex abuse scandal that has rocked the Buffalo Diocese and many others across the country. "We have not lessened any of our resolve for actions," he said. Advocates for survivors of clergy sexual abuse swiftly rebuked the bishops and the Vatican. “That is a terrible message to start this conference,” said Peter Isley, a victim of abuse and a founding member of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP. “There’s no reason to wait. What do they need permission for? They need to do this now. They need to deliver. Now is the time to deliver.” Anne Barrett Doyle, co-founder of BishopAccountability.org, said she was “stunned and disappointed” by the bishops’ unwillingness to move forward on the proposals. “By complying so readily to what the Vatican has demanded, they are surrendering their responsibility to lead this institution,” she said. Doyle and Terence McKiernan urged the bishops to submit their resignations to the Vatican en masse, as bishops in Chile did earlier this year following revelations of cover-ups of childhood sex abuse in that country. They also called upon all U.S. bishops to publicize and maintain detailed lists of all accused priests, brothers and nuns and to stop lobbying against efforts to reform statutes of limitations on child sex abuse crimes. The bishops had been expected to vote Tuesday on measures aimed at themselves, namely the creation of a third-party reporting system to receive confidential complaints of sex abuse of minors by a bishop, as well as sexual harassment or sexual misconduct with adults by a bishop; and a new code of conduct for bishops regarding sex abuse of a minor or adult or negligence related to such cases. The Catholic Church in the U.S. is in the midst of its biggest sex abuse scandal since the Boston Globe in 2002 exposed a massive cover-up of abuses in the Archdiocese of Boston, which led to a landmark meeting of bishops in Dallas to craft new rules mandating that any priest who offends against children be ousted from ministry. Archbishop Christophe Pierre, Pope Francis’ representative in the U.S., said that changes implemented by the bishops in 2002 have led to steep decline in the incidence of reported abuse today. He also said that training programs used in dioceses to prevent abuse have in some cases become models for civil institutions. “Despite the success of these efforts, there is not a corresponding increase in public approval of bishops, and given some recent revelations, perhaps none should be expected,” said Pierre. “Trust needs to be earned, not presumed.” DiNardo said he did not speak directly with Pope Francis, but was in contact with representatives of the Vatican office known as the Congregation for Bishops who indicated that some points of canon law in the measures being considered by the bishops needed further refinement. Following DiNardo's announcement, Cardinal Blaise J. Cupich of the Archdiocese of Chicago urged his fellow bishops to schedule a special session in March instead of waiting until their next scheduled meeting in June 2019. "It is something we cannot delay. There is an urgency there," said Cupich.
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