Seeking answers
News you might have missed in 200 words
Sexual abuse of minors by priests has reemerged as a topic that is being discussed at every level of the Church. This summer we learned of credible charges that a retired U.S. cardinal abused young boys and seminarians. Then the Pennsylvania Attorney General released a grand jury report that says more than 1,000 children were abused by priests in the state over the past 70 years.
Just this week the former papal nuncio to the U.S., Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, accused Pope Francis of concealing knowledge of the retired cardinal's actions and called for the pope to resign. Pope Francis replied that people can judge the claims for themselves.
The president of the USCCB, Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, said in an Aug. 27 statement that the questions raised by Archbishop Vigano's letter "deserve answers that are conclusive and based on evidence."
Cardinal DiNardo said the Church's path toward addressing sexual abuse began in 2002 but there is lots more that needs to be done. "We will do better. The more she is buffeted by storms, the more I am reminded that the Church's firm foundation is Jesus Christ. The failures of men cannot diminish the light of the Gospel."
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