Bishops Say Pope’s Move on Cardinal McCarrick Not the End of the Road

NEW YORK (NY)
The Tablet

July 30, 2018

By Christopher White

Following Pope Francis’s historic decision to accept the resignation of Cardinal Theodore McCarrick from the College of Cardinals, both fellow bishops in the United States as well as survivors and advocates say it’s a step forward but there’s still a great distance to be traveled until the pledge of “zero tolerance” is fulfilled.

“The somber announcement from the Vatican this morning will impact the Catholic community of the Archdiocese of Newark with particular force,” said Cardinal Joseph Tobin of Newark in a statement on Saturday.

Cardinal Tobin – who now holds the post Cardinal McCarrick held from 1986 to 2001 – went on to add that “this latest news is a necessary step for the Church to hold itself accountable for sexual abuse and harassment perpetrated by its ministers, no matter their rank. I ask my brothers and sisters to pray for all who may have been harmed by the former Cardinal, and to pray for him as well.”

Cardinal Donald Wuerl of Washington, who succeeded Cardinal McCarrick in 2006, spoke to WTOP, a local D.C. radio show, on Saturday, where he called the decision a “big step forward in trying to act quickly, decisively,” though he acknowledged that the “procedure isn’t concluded yet.”

In a statement on Sunday, the Archdiocese of Washington said a review of their files found no complaints against Cardinal McCarrick there. Further, Cardinal Wuerl said, he was unaware of the settlements in Metuchen and Newark.

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