Juan Carlos Cruz, along with James Hamilton and Jose Andres Murillo, were sexually abused by Father Fernando Karadima, who in 2011 was found guilty by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith of sexually abusing minors during the 1980s and 1990s. Father Karadima was sentenced to a life of prayer and solitude.
The Pope invited the three abuse survivors to meet with him, and summoned Chile’s entire Episcopate to meet with him in the Vatican; that meeting will take place later this month.
Cruz told reporters that “it was clear that the Pope was misinformed.”
The survivors mentioned that Archbishop Ivo Scapolo, apostolic nuncio to Chile, was part of the problem, along with Cardinal Francisco Errazuriz, Archbishop Emeritus of Santiago and a member of Pope Francis' Council of Cardinal advisers.
Noteworthy is the fact that Cardinal Errazuriz has said that he will not take part in a meeting between Chile’s Bishops and the Pope, but has offered no explanation of why he will not be present.
Hamilton told reporters that Errazuriz failed to act on abuse reports, saying that the Cardinal “was covering up for more than 5 years the criminal of Karadima and all of his acts.”
It is possible that, at the time Pope Francis appointed Bishop Barros to Osorno, he was misinformed, especially if Errazuriz and Scalpo failed to adequately inform the Pope of any credible reports against the Bishop.
But the lingering question is whether, and how, Pope Francis remained misinformed after Cruz wrote a letter to him.
In April 2015, Marie Collins, then a member of the Pope’s sexual abuse commission, delivered to Cardinal O’Malley Cruz’ letter, and asked him to the deliver it to Pope Francis.
Is it possible that Cardinal O’Malley did not deliver the letter to the Pope?
The Archdiocese of Boston declined to comment, referring questions to the Vatican. The Vatican’s press office declined to answer questions on the letter.
Cardinal O’Malley has stated that he informed both Ms. Collins and Mr. Cruz that he had delivered the letter to the Pope and communicated their concerns about Bishop Barros.
Cardinal O’Malley’s spokesman, Terry Donilon, stated that the Cardinal did indeed deliver the letter which accused Bishop Barros of knowing that a notorious priest named Francisco Karadima routinely molested boys.
Cardinal O’Malley’s credibility on sexual abuse matters is unimpeachable, and he communicated to Cruz, Collins, and Donilon that he delivered the letter. To Cruz and Collins, he also seems to have confirmed conveying their concerns to Pope Francis.
So, it is highly unlikely that the letter went undelivered.
What is not clear is how the Cardinal delivered the letter: whether he handed it directly to Pope Francis, and summarized the contents, or whether he delivered it to an aide.
If His Eminence delivered the letter to an aide, or if Pope Francis passed it on to an aide, it is possible that it never made its way back to the Pope.
In that case, serious questions would need to be answered about whether someone on the Pope’s personal staff was protecting Bishop Barros, or shielding the Holy Father from bad news. Such things would not be unprecedented; but in a matter as serious as this, they demand accountability.
It is also possible, and perhaps most probable, that although Pope Francis says he was misinformed, he did read the 2015 letter from Cruz.
And it may also be possible that, after reading it, Pope Francis would have consulted with Cardinal Errazuriz, his close adviser and a Chilean.
Given that Cardinal Errazuriz is already alleged to have discounted allegations involving Barros, he might have discredited Cruz’ account
How Pope Francis acts now has the potential to impact the credibility of his Pontificate.
The Pope is likely to accept the resignation of Bishop Juan Barros in the weeks to come. He will also have to decide who was responsible for misinforming him, and what the consequences will be.
And he may also need to consider carefully when to trust advisers, and when he is obliged to take matters into his own hands.
No comments:
Post a Comment