Head of Catholic Bishops in U.S.: We Need Spiritual Conversion to Deal with the Sex Abuse Crisis

Dorothy Cummings McLean : Aug 6, 2018
LifeSiteNews.com

Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo said that the allegations regarding Cardinal McCarrick had made bishops, including himself, angry, sad, ashamed, and keen for answers.

(Washington, DC)—[Lifesitenews.com] The President of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has called for the "spiritual conversion" of all U.S. bishops so that they can properly address the sexual abuse "crisis" happening in the Church, highlighted on account of the Cardinal McCarrick scandal. (Photo: Cardinal Diel N. DiNardo/ Credit: Lisa Bourne/LifeSiteNews)

Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo, Archbishop of Galveston-Houston, released a statement [recently] saying that accusations against Archbishop Theodore McCarrick had led him to convene a meeting of the USCCB Executive Committee to discern the "right course of action for the USCCB."

"This meeting was the first of many among bishops that will extend into our Administrative Committee meeting in September and our General Assembly in November," he wrote. "All of these discussions will be oriented toward discerning the right course of action for the USCCB."

The Cardinal said that these discussions would "take some time" but that he would make four suggestions at once: that his "brother bishops" be kind to sexual abuse victims and "accompany them"; that anyone who has been assaulted or harassed by anyone in the Church come forward and, if applicable, to contact the police; that the bishops investigate the allegations regarding Archbishop McCarrick; and that they recognize that a "spiritual conversion is needed."

DiNardo admitted in the short document that there is a "crisis of sexual morality" in the Church:

We bishops recognize that a spiritual conversion is needed as we seek to restore the right relationship among us and with the Lord. Our Church is suffering from a crisis of sexual morality. The way forward must involve learning from past sins.

The Cardinal said that the allegations regarding Cardinal McCarrick had made bishops, including himself, angry, sad, ashamed, and keen for answers. "They cause bishops anger, sadness, and shame; I know they do in me. They compel bishops to ask, as I do, what more could have been done to protect the People of God."

He acknowledged that McCarrick's abuses, and their cover-up, had done "great harm" and represented "grave moral failures of judgement" by Church leaders. "Both the abuses themselves, and the fact that they have remained undisclosed for decades, have caused great harm to people's lives and represent grave moral failures of judgement on the part of Church leaders."

DiNardo said the failures raised "serious questions," and assured the faithful that Archbishop McCarrick will face "the judgement of a canonical process" in Vatican City...

Click here to continue reading.