Vatican orders halt to U.S. bishops' reform vote

Pope Francis smiles at supporters outside the Vatican Apostolic Nunciature in Santiago, Chile, on Jan. 15, 2018. MUST CREDIT: Bloomberg photo by Tamara Merino.
Pope Francis smiles at supporters outside the Vatican Apostolic Nunciature in Santiago, Chile, on Jan. 15, 2018. MUST CREDIT: Bloomberg photo by Tamara Merino.

BALTIMORE -- The Vatican on Monday ordered America's Catholic leaders to delay voting on measures meant to hold bishops more accountable in abuse cases, surprising attendees of a key meeting of U.S. bishops.

It was the first meeting for the bishops of America's 196 Catholic dioceses and archdioceses since the abuse crisis re-emerged this summer, and it began with the knowledge that Rome wanted them to drop all the votes on their agenda. The bishops had planned to devote their annual meeting almost exclusively to the burgeoning national crisis.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops learned of the order in a letter from the Vatican's powerful Congregation for Bishops.

The Vatican's ambassador to the United States, Archbishop Christopher Pierre, suggested that bishops should not look to lay people in the church or law enforcement to confront the church's sexual abuse crisis. More than a dozen U.S. states have ongoing criminal and civil investigations into crimes committed by priests.

"There may be a temptation on the part of some to relinquish responsibility for reform to others from ourselves, as if we were no longer capable of reforming or trusting ourselves," Pierre said. "Assistance is both welcome and necessary, and surely collaboration with the laity is essential. However, the responsibility as bishops of this Catholic Church is ours."

The bishops had planned to vote on a code of conduct, the first ethical guidelines for bishops, and to create a lay commission. Instead, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo -- the president of the conference -- told the group that the Vatican's Congregation for Bishops wants American bishops to take no action until a worldwide meeting of church leaders in February.

Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, called the last-minute order from the Vatican "truly incredible."

"What we see here is the Vatican again trying to suppress even modest progress by the U.S. bishops," said Doyle, whose group compiles data on clergy abuse in the church. "We're seeing where the problem lies, which is with the Vatican. The outcome of this meeting, at best, was going to be tepid and ineffectual, but now it's actually going to be completely without substance."

The bishops, like the advocates who had gathered near their Baltimore meeting to protest on behalf of victims, expressed frustration at the Vatican's move.

Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago quickly proposed an alternative to the Vatican's request that no vote be taken. He suggested a nonbinding vote at this session, followed by an additional meeting of all the bishops in March -- after Francis' worldwide meeting -- to formally vote on these policies as soon as possible.

Leaders said that the bishops will still spend today and Wednesday debating and fine-tuning their proposals, as planned. They will just conclude the meeting without any binding vote.

Some bishops said the Vatican's request alone damages American leaders' efforts to regain parishioners' trust, after a longtime church leader -- Theodore McCarrick -- was revealed this year to have allegedly sexually harassed and molested multiple victims, and after a Pennsylvania grand jury report documented decades of abuse by hundreds of priests.

"This kind of thing is a blow to what we're trying to overcome here in the United States -- the perception of a hierarchy that is unresponsive to the reality of the tragedy," said Jefferson City Bishop Shawn McKnight, who became a bishop nine months ago. He said he blamed not necessarily Pope Francis, but people around him in the Vatican who oppose efforts to move faster to put a stop to abuse. "This will be a moment to decide whether we are going to simply fall in line, slow down and get behind, or will we maintain efforts at true reform in the church."

"I'm beginning to wonder if we need to look at a resolution where we refuse to participate in any kind of cover-up from those above us," he said. "It's for the good of the church.

But even as he he repeatedly proclaimed himself disappointed by the Vatican's request, DiNardo said that the American bishops will act in accordance with its wishes.

A Section on 11/13/2018

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