On Thursday, August 30th, Pope Francis met with Cardinal Donald Wuerl in the Vatican.
The Holy Father suggested that, before the Cardinal makes any decision regarding his ability to remain as Archbishop of Washington, DC, His Eminence should consult with the Priests of the Archdiocese.
The meeting with the Pope, which was kept secret from the press and the public, took place just weeks after Cardinal Wuerl was named in the Pennsylvania Grand Jury Report on sexual abuse by Priests in the State’s six Dioceses. The Cardinal is alleged to have engaged in a systematic coverup while serving as Bishop in Pittsburgh.
On Monday, Labor Day, the annual meeting of Cardinal Wuerl with the Priest of Washington took place , but not in an atmosphere of joy but rather in a spirit of prayer and discernment.
I spoke by telephone with two Priests (friends of many years) who were in attendance at that meeting.
Each independently confirmed that the tone of the meeting was both somber and tense.
After a period of prayer, the Cardinal spoke of his meeting with the Pope and the counsel the Pope offered that he should confer with his Priests and, after an appropriate period of reflection and discernment, determine what further actions he should take.
Both Priests indicated that there were many at the meeting who found it difficult, if not impossible, to believe that the Cardinal was not aware of McCarrick’s perverse behavior and the many rumors which were commonly uttered about him.
Repeatedly, the Cardinal denied any such knowledge or awareness of McCarrick’s actions or the disreputable stories about his homosexual attraction, especially toward seminarians.
The Cardinal further denied the allegations of the Vatican's former Nuncio to the United States who has accused Pope Francis and other church officials, including Pope Cardinal Wuerl, of covering up allegations against McCarrick.
From what these two Priests related to me, it appears that the meeting ended with no consensus as to whether His Eminence was being truthful or not.
As of this writing, no further meetings between the Cardinal and the Priests have been scheduled or announced.
Now, not only the Diocese of Pittsburgh but the Archdiocese of Washington, DC is suffering under the burden of allegations not proven nor acknowledged by Cardinal Wuerl.
The Priests told me their parishioners in the national’s capital are concerned and upset with the way in which Cardinal Wuerl has responded to allegations contained in the Grand Jury Report.
The Holy Father’s advice to Cardinal Wuerl to consult with his Priest-collaborators is certainly prudent. There needs to be a period of consultation and discernment.
But the clock is ticking and the confidence of the Catholic faithful in the Cardinal and the Bishops generally is hanging by a thread.
We ask the Holy Spirit to assist His Eminence and the the Archdiocese of Washington in coming to a decision which serves the best interests of both the local church there and the Universal Church as well.
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