Despite Denials, Cardinal Donald Wuerl Knew of Abuse Claims Against McCarrick

According to a report from the Washington Post, Catholic officials in DC and Pittsburgh now admit that Cardinal Donald Wuerl was lying when he claimed he was unaware of sexual crimes and misdeeds by his predecessor, Cardinal Theodore McCarrick.

Reports such these help show why we are wary when Church officials claim no knowledge of abusive priests or prelates under their watch. We question exactly how many people knew for weeks that Cardinal Wuerl was not telling the truth, yet kept silent? If the Church truly wants to restore its credibility and to increase public faith, everyone who with knowledge should immediately step down or be be fired, especially the public relations professionals in both dioceses.

As more and more cases come forward, one thing in this crisis has remained constant: the minimization of wrongdoing by prelates and the desperate attempts to dodge blame for their role in ignoring or covering up cases of abuse. We hope that at next month’s summit in Rome that accountability for bishops who conceal sex crimes will be at the top of the agenda.

CONTACT: Becky Ianni, SNAP Treasurer, Local DC SNAP leader ([email protected], (703) 801-6044), Zach Hiner, Executive Director ([email protected], 517-974-9009)

(SNAP, the Survivors Network, has been providing support for victims of sexual abuse in institutional settings for 30 years. We have more than 25,000 survivors and supporters in our network. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)

 

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