US cardinal accused of concealing abuse pulls out of Dublin event
In the public mind, accused clergy are no longer believed when they claim innocence.
A US cardinal has pulled out of a keynote speech at the World Meeting of Families, a global event being hosted by the Roman Catholic church in Dublin, after he was criticised for his handling of child sexual abuse in a damning report.
Donald Wuerl, the archbishop of Washington, concealed abuse and moved known child molesters to new posts when he was bishop of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania from 1988 to 2006, according to the grand jury report.
His withdrawal from the event, which begins on Tuesday and which Pope Francis will attend next weekend, is another indicator that the church is struggling to get on top of a wave of sexual abuse scandals that have engulfed the Vatican this year.
Survivors of sexual abuse are expected to protest during the pope’s 36-hour visit to Ireland.
No reason was given for Wuerl’s withdrawal. It follows the cancellation of the appearance another cardinal, Sean O’Malley, the archbishop of Boston, whose diocese said he had to personally attend to allegations of sexual harassment and bullying at a seminary.
The Pennsylvania report, published last Tuesday, concluded that 301 priests in six dioceses had abused more than 1,000 children over a 70-year period.
“Priests were raping little boys and girls, and the men of God who were responsible for them not only did nothing; they hid it all. For decades,” the report said.
And elsewhere.
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