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BALTIMORE – Catholic bishops from all over the country have been ordered by the Vatican to take no action at their annual meeting to address the crisis of sexual abuse that has rocked the country. church this year.
Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, announced the news in his introductory remarks, surprising many participants for whom the subject was at the center of concern.
The Vatican informed Cardinal DiNardo of the directive Sunday evening only, according to a bishop aware of the situation. This testifies to the continuing split between Pope Francis and the US bishops on how to remedy the crisis of abuse, the latest edition of which began with a report released in August by the Attorney General of Pennsylvania and documenting the abuses committed by more from 300 priests to more than 1000 children.
The Vatican insisted that any official action on the crisis of sexual abuse will have to wait for a world summit on the issue scheduled for February, Cardinal DiNardo said.
The cardinal added that he was "disappointed" not to vote this week on reforms related to sexual abuse. The Vatican refused to comment.
Earlier this year, the Vatican asked bishops to cancel their annual conference in Baltimore and organize a retreat for spiritual reflection on sexual abuse. The bishops refused and continued the meeting anyway, although they scheduled a spiritual retreat for January.
Most bishops in the room did not learn that the votes on sexual abuse had been canceled before Cardinal DiNardo announced it, said Bishop Christopher Coyne of Burlington, Vermont. Several people were shocked when they heard the news.
Immediately following the announcement of the change of plan by Cardinal DiNardo, Cardinal Blase Cupich, Archbishop of Chicago and close ally of Pope Francis, rose to suggest to the Bishops to convene a meeting in March to decide reforms and act as quickly as possible. .
"It is clear that the Holy See is taking the crisis of church abuse seriously," he said. "We must act quickly, without delay."
Some bishops viewed Baltimore as an important opportunity not only to remedy the crisis of sexual abuse, but also to demonstrate to angry Catholics in the country that the American bishops were determined to act.
"It does not send an emergency message," said John Gehring, a former spokesman for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, about the Vatican's decision. "Doing things right is more important than rushing things, but I think it sends a very bad message to Catholic peers who are angry and frustrated."
-Francis X. Rocca contributed to this article.
Write to Ian Lovett at [email protected]
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