2018 goes down in the annals as a disturbing one for the Catholic Church in the U.S. Resurgence of unaddressed abuse past shocks faithful and leaves bishops scrambling for explanations.
The epicenter of the 2018 abuse quake has a name: Theodore McCarrick. Washington's 88-year-old ex-cardinal allegedly sexually assaulted two minors some 50 years ago and later coerced young priest candidates into sex. Further cases are not excluded. And McCarrick, of all people, had led the fight against priest sexual assault in the wake of revelations in the Boston archdiocese after the turn of the millennium.
Now, in June, "Uncle Ted," as those affected called the churchman dismissed from the cardinal's post at the end of July, was himself targeted. The fact that one of the most prominent advocates of a "zero tolerance" policy was apparently himself an abuser plunges the U.S. church once again into a deep crisis of credibility. Since then, not a month has gone by without new allegations against clerics. The McCarrick case also deepened trench warfare between liberal and conservative Catholics. The latter saw the favor of the hour come to discredit the unloved reform course of Pope Francis.
Investigative report on abuse cases in Pennsylvania
Leading the charge was Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, former papal nuncio to the U.S. In several letters, he accused Francis of being aware of McCarrick's sexual assaults and suggested the pope resign. Even its predecessor, Benedict XVI. (2005-2013) is said to have had knowledge of McCarrick's darker side. Vigano's accusation: both had enabled his career against better knowledge – and were jointly responsible for years of cover-up.
In the midst of this debate, a grand jury commission released an investigative report on abuse cases in Pennsylvania in August. Worst fears exceeded. Over more than 70 years, the report documents more than 1.000 minors affected and about 300 priests accused. In some cases, the dioceses responsible would have known about the offenses and concealed them.
Another prominent bishop also came into focus. Cardinal Donald Wuerl (78), until October at the helm of the politically influential Archdiocese of Washington. Although not himself accused of abuse, Wuerl as bishop of Pittsburgh (1988-2006) is said to have known of serious misconduct by his priests in several cases but kept silent. He also allegedly knew about abuses committed by his predecessor in Washington, McCarrick – which he denies. There was outrage among churchgoers. He should be ashamed of himself, one even shouted at him in the middle of Mass.
The plethora of allegations is keeping numerous prosecutors busy in several states as well as, for the first time, at the federal level. It puts the church under even more prere to come clean about the past. But when the U.S. bishops' conference tried to go on the offensive in November, Rome held them back.
No separate set of measures
Pope Francis put a stop to U.S. bishops taking their own set of national measures. According to the report, lay people should be involved in the investigation, outside organizations should be brought in and a code of conduct for bishops should be adopted. But Francis asked the conference chairman, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, not to let any resolutions be passed. This, he said, should be reserved for the world bishops' meeting in Rome in February – to show, as the pope's ambassador to the U.S., Archbishop Christophe Pierre, put it, "that we can solve the problems ourselves instead of delegating them to others".
In 2018, Jesuit provinces and other orders and organizations in the U.S. also disclosed abuse cases within their ranks.
The media, too, are not letting up. They recently revealed that hundreds of assaults by church leaders in Illinois had gone unrecorded.
Prere on Rome at February world meeting is immense. Catholic laity in particular protest against hierarchy. Reactions among church folk range from anger to speechlessness. The renowned publicist E. J. Dionne summed up the state of mind when he voiced a question on the tongue of many: "How can I stay here anymore?"