The leaders of the world's conferences of Catholic bishops will convene in Rome Feb. 21-24 to discuss the Church's crisis of sexual abuse and its cover-up. In advance of this gathering, St. Vincent's Ad Hoc Committee on Church Reform wrote to the Apostolic Nuncio for the United States, Archbishop Christophe Peirre. 
"Pope Francis acknowledged that we are experiencing a twofold crisis, one of abuse and one that shatters credibility. He challenged the bishops to combat both of these crises.  Our leaders cannot be alone in the implementation of this challenge.  Please know the people of God have been confronting these issues . . . we have many gifts and we willingly will continue to help you succeed in promoting reconciliation and healing during this sad and difficult period of church history."

The Ad Hoc Committee is also writing to Archbishop Lori on the upcoming re-convening of an Archdiocesan Pastoral Council, recommending (among other recommendations) that any such council be composed of elected, rather than appointed, members. 

From Evasion to Conversion:  How Pope Francis Sees the Sex-Abuse Crisis
"This is how Francis, after a difficult 2018 and above all his own experience of misjudgment and mismanagement in the case of Chile, has come to see the abuse crisis. It is much deeper than it looks, for it involves a turning-away from Christ in his people. And it cannot be repaired merely by procedural or judicial mechanisms, necessary as these are. It will require a radical transformation—a turning-back to Christ."            Commonweal