CHICAGO (IL)
Illinois News Network
January 2, 2019
By Greg Bishop
As a weeklong summit of U.S. Catholic bishops begins in the Chicago suburbs, groups of clergy sex abuse survivors are demanding more independent action, and for the removal of Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops began its weeklong meeting in the Chicago suburb of Mundelein Wednesday. Bishops from all around the country are expected to pray and reflect on the child sex abuse scandal.
The Catholic News Service reported the meeting is “a spiritual retreat to pray and reflect on the important matters facing the Catholic Church” and was planned “in response to Pope Francis’ request to a delegation of U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops leaders during a meeting at the Vatican” last fall.
Zach Hiner, executive director of Survivors Network for those Abused by Priests, or SNAP, said the church needs to do more than pray.
“I’m sure that’s important for them. It is irrelevant to this crisis,” Hiner said. “Prayer is not really going to help us right now. What we need to see is concrete action.”
Hiner said there needs to be accountability, and not just for priests accused of abuse “but also for those prelates and other officials that have enabled the abuse by moving abusers around and concealing allegations from the public and law enforcement.”
In a statement released Wednesday afternoon, the Chicago Archdiocese said it “recognizes and mourns the grave damage done to many people harmed by clergy sexual abuse. We will always need to own and express deep regret for the suffering caused both by the abuse and the past failures to respond.”
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