Pope Francis’ silence about allegations by his former ambassador to the U.S. that he knew of abuses against seminarians by former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick is, for some, no more disconcerting than his silence regarding Chile, where three bishops have been subpoenaed by the prosecutor’s office to give testimony about possible abuse cover-ups.
Bishops in several European countries issued statements urging Catholics to support Pope Francis in response to a former papal nuncio’s demand for his resignation.
Without respectfully collaborating with teachers and schools, parents will risk being on their own when it comes to educating their children and be at a greater disadvantage for facing the challenges emerging from today’s culture, mass media and technology, Pope Francis said.
Amidst a growing clerical sexual abuse crisis, questions have arisen as to how it will impact an upcoming summit of bishops to be held in Rome in October.
Jesus showed that the best way to respond to scandal and divisiveness is to stay silent and pray, Pope Francis said Sept. 3 as he resumed his early morning Masses with invited guests.
In the aftermath of Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò’s sensational claim that Pope Francis knew about misconduct allegations against ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick in 2013 and ignored them, Archbishop Viganò’s own handling of a sex abuse crisis in the U.S. has come under fresh examination.
Photos and stories from all the coverage of Pope Francis trip ti Ireland for the World Meeting of Families.
This past week, Our Holy Father, Pope Francis, made his journey to the World Meetings of Families, sponsored by the Vatican dicastery responsible for ministry to families, laity and life, headed by Cardinal Kevin Farrell. The Diocese of Brooklyn was blessed by a representation of priests and parishioners.
It would be a shame if last week’s papal trip to Ireland was judged simply as a referendum as to how the Church is handling the sex abuse crisis. While Pope Francis went to Ireland to affirm the World Meeting of Families, most of the headlines of the week surrounded the recent grand jury report about clergy sex abuse in Pennsylvania and Cardinal McCarrick’s resignation from the College of Cardinals as well as the history of abuse in Ireland.
Pope Francis spent 90 minutes meeting privately with eight survivors of sexual, physical and emotional abuse at the hands of Catholic clergy or in Catholic-run institutions.
