ALLENTOWN (PA)
The Morning Call
October 12, 2018
By Paul Muschick
I’m still not sure the Catholic church gets it.
The pope’s acceptance of the resignation of Cardinal Donald Wuerl on Friday probably was viewed by many as a sign that the church is taking steps to change its ways and rebuild itself amid the fallout of the child sex abuse scandal exposed by the Pennsylvania grand jury investigation.
Here’s why I’m not so sure that’s the case.
Wuerl’s name came up often in the grand jury report. He wasn’t accused of abuse, but at times of helping to protect abusers in his role as the long-time bishop of the Diocese of Pittsburgh. The report also notes steps he took to try to rid the church of abusers.
About a month after the report was released, Wuerl wrote a blog post in which he said he wished he “could redo some decisions I have made in my three decades as a bishop and each time get it right.” In a statement Friday, he apologized “for any past errors in judgment.”
Regardless of how you feel about Wuerl, it’s clear that his continued presence as a cardinal in Washington, D.C., was becoming divisive. Pope Francis on Friday accepted the resignation that Wuerl first offered nearly three years ago when he turned 75 and offered again last month.
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