Yesterday, Cardinal Donald Wuerl sent a letter to Priests of the Archdiocese of Washington, DC, stating that he plans to travel to Rome to meet with Pope Francis to discuss the possible resignation from his position as Archbishop.
In the letter, confirmed by the Archdiocese of Washington, he discusses a resignation letter that he submitted in November 2015. At that time, he had turned 75 years old, which is the customary retirement age.
The Cardinal wrote:
“On Monday, September 3, prior to our annual Labor Day gathering, we had an opportunity to pray together and, as I was asked by our Holy Father Pope Francis, to discern the best course of action for me to pursue as we face new revelations of the extent of the horror of the clergy abuse of children and the failures in episcopal oversight,” Wuerl wrote in the letter. “At issue is how to begin effectively to bring a new level of healing to survivors who have personally suffered so much and to the faithful entrusted to our care who have also been wounded by the shame of these terrible actions and have questions about their bishop’s ability to provide the necessary leadership.
“It was clear that some decision, sooner rather than later, on my part is an essential aspect so that this archdiocesan Church we all love can move forward. As a fruit of our discernment I intend, in the very near future, to go to Rome to meet with our Holy Father about the resignation I presented nearly three years ago, November 12, 2015.”
Pope Francis will meet with U.S. cardinals and bishops Thursday to discuss the sex abuse scandal, according to the Vatican.
However, the Archdiocese announced that Cardinal Wuerl will not be attending that meeting and will be staying in Washington D.C. where he has a Mass scheduled Friday at St. Matthew’s Cathedral. However the Archdiocesan press office has not inspired confidence in its statements of late.
Other news outlets have reported that Cardinal Wuerl will be present at the Thursday meeting.
In any case, one thing is certain. The time for the Holy Father to accept Cardinal Wuerl’s resignation is long past due.
Accepting it will be in the best interests of the besieged Cardinal himself as well as for the Church.
Sad that such an illustrious career as Cardinal Wuerl’s ends in scandal and shame.
Let us pray for the victims of his failings, for him personally and for the Church which has been so terribly hurt by this scourge of sexual abuse.
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