WASHINGTON— Cardinal
Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, President of the United
States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has issued the following
statement.

Cardinal
DiNardo’s full statement follows:

“In
communion with the Holy Father, I join the Executive Committee of the United
States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) in taking upon ourselves his
exhortation, ‘this open wound [of abuse] challenges us to be firm and decisive
in the pursuit of truth and justice.’

“On
August 1st, I promised that USCCB would exercise the full extent of its
authority, and would advocate before those with greater authority, to pursue
the many questions surrounding Archbishop McCarrick. On August 16th, I called for an Apostolic
Visitation, working in concert with a national lay commission granted
independent authority, to seek the truth.
Yesterday, I convened our Executive Committee once again, and it
reaffirmed the call for a prompt and thorough examination into how the grave
moral failings of a brother bishop could have been tolerated for so long and
proven no impediment to his advancement.

“The
recent letter of Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò brings particular focus and
urgency to this examination. The
questions raised deserve answers that are conclusive and based on evidence.
Without those answers, innocent men may be tainted by false accusation and the
guilty may be left to repeat sins of the past.

“I
am eager for an audience with the Holy Father to earn his support for our plan
of action. That plan includes more
detailed proposals to: seek out these answers, make reporting of abuse and
misconduct by bishops easier, and improve procedures for resolving complaints
against bishops. Inspired by his recent
letter to the people of God, and his motu
proprio of two years ago, As a Loving
Mother, I am confident Pope Francis shares our desire for greater
effectiveness and transparency in the matter of disciplining bishops. We renew our
fraternal affection for the Holy Father in these difficult days.

“To
the survivors of abuse and the families who have lost a loved one to abuse, I
am sorry. You are no longer alone. Since 2002, hundreds of professionally
trained staff across the country have been working with the Church to support
survivors and prevent future abuse.
Nationwide, the Church has a zero-tolerance policy toward priests and
deacons who abuse, safe environment training, background checks for those
working around children, victim assistance coordinators, prompt reporting to
civil authorities, and lay review boards in dioceses.

“In
other ways, we have failed you. This is
especially true for adults being sexually harassed by those in positions of
power, and for any abuse or harassment perpetrated by a bishop. We will do better. The more she is buffeted
by storms, the more I am reminded that the Church’s firm foundation is Jesus
Christ. The failures of men cannot
diminish the light of the Gospel. Lord,
by the help of your mercy, show us the way to salvation.”

—

Keywords:
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, USCCB, Cardinal Daniel N.
DiNardo, Pope Francis, Executive Committee, Archbishop McCarrick, Archbishop
Carlo Maria Viganò, Apostolic Visitation, national lay commission, independent
authority, motu proprio, As a Loving Mother, clergy sex abuse,
survivors, zero-tolerance, safe environment, victim assistance coordinators,
civil authorities, truth, justice

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Contact:

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Source:: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops