VATICAN CITY
Crux
By Inés San Martín
Vatican correspondent February 16, 2015
ROME — A consistory week in Rome, when a pope creates new cardinals, is a bit like the Iowa caucuses of the Catholic Church. All the heavy-hitters of both parties are gathered in one place at one time, followed around by media scrums eager to collect the next explosive soundbite.
Much can be learned about the cardinals, new and old, from what they say during those days, but the overload and multiplicity of languages makes it hard to keep track of it all.
Want proof? Consider that US Cardinal Raymond Burke told a French TV outlet last week that he’s ready to “resist” Pope Francis on divorce and gay marriage, and it barely made headlines.
Here, then, is a sampling of the sights and sounds of consistory week 2015, which featured a meeting of the pope’s “G9” council of cardinal advisors, a meeting of all the cardinals of the world that discussed Vatican reform and sex abuse, and the Saturday ceremony in which Francis inducted 20 new members into the Church’s most exclusive club. …
A strong stand against clerical sex abuse
Ricardo Blázquez Pérez, from the diocese of Valladolid, is the president of Spain’s Bishops Conference, and shortly after being created a cardinal, he told reporters he’s committed to strong collaboration with the civil and criminal justice systems in cases of clerical sex abuse, and stressed that “apologizing isn’t enough.”
The issue had barely made headlines in Spain until last year, when Pope Francis intervened in a case of abuse in the diocese of Granada by urging the victim to come forward and denounced a group of priests that had abused him. The case seemed to have a domino effect, with other dioceses facing similar charges.
In this regard, Blázquez Pérez said that it’s a major issue that has to be taken seriously, but denied an “epidemic of child abuse” by priests in Spain. He defended the response of the Spanish bishops, saying that so far, it’s been “quick and effective.”
Blázquez Pérez said he’ll cooperate fully with the civil authorities and also with the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, created by Francis and headed by Boston Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley.
On Friday afternoon, O’Malley gave the cardinals a rundown of what the commission has done and what’s expected from each local church, such as the appointment of a referent for cases of clerical sex abuse.
On this, Blázquez Pérez said they’re ready to designate such intermediary as soon as he receives “concrete guidance” from the Vatican on what this person will do.
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