Washington Catholics Face Tricky End of Donald Wuerl's Reign as Archbishop

"It is a very good thing. That's a good thing, "said Winnie Obike, who created a petition demanding thousands of signatures asking Cardinal Donald Wuerl to resign because of his mismanagement of abusive priests under his supervision. But the problem, she said, is so much bigger: "This East Coast Catholic culture, which is morally corrupt and needs to be saved."

Bob Cooke, who organized demonstrations, including one outside St. Matthew's Cathedral, said: "It's the whole system, clericalism in the church, that needs to be changed. … I fear that the future is no longer like the past. "

Catholics in Washington are debating the future of their archdiocese, although some continue to question whether it was right to condemn Wuerl for his handling of sexual abuse by priests.

[Wuerl’s handling of abuse imperils his legacy]

Cooke, a fan of Pope Francis, despite his deep concern about the way in which the Church treats abusive priests, called for major changes in the governance of the Church, and more particularly the inclusion of women in the churches. management decisions that are currently being taken entirely by male priests. He stated that he would like to see a Liberal acolyte of Francis, such as Cardinal Joseph Tobin of Newark, as the next Archbishop of Washington.

Obike, a conservative Catholic and Republican candidate in the Maryland legislature, has a different vision of what is needed in Washington, where the two most recent cardinals have resigned from office within the space of just four months due to 39, charges related to sexual abuse. by the priests. "There has to be somebody who is not part of the McCarrick-Wuerl regime," she said, "anyone related to the regime of Pope Francis – frankly, they are liberals." It's an elitist tension liberal of what it means to be Catholic. "

The crisis of abuse that erupted this summer shook all speculation about the possible replacement of Mr. Wuerl, 77, who was to retire in the coming years. Francis did not appoint a substitute on Friday, leaving Wuerl with responsibility for the administration of the archdiocese until the pope chose a successor.

Prior to June, the men often named as suitors included the bishop of San Diego, Robert McElroy, the Archbishop of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Bernard Hebda (who was Wuerl's personal secretary in Pittsburgh) and l & # 39; Archbishop of Seattle, J. Peter Sartain. All are in the mold of Wuerl, considered a moderate in the wars of the American Catholic culture.

But now, Francis must seek a bishop capable of curing the archdiocese of recent revelations – about the allegations of juvenile abuse by Cardinal Theodore McCarrick and harassing seminarians and priests, and mismanagement by Wuerl of cases of sexual abuse as shown in a massive Pennsylvania grand jury report.

Rocco Palmo, a longtime chronicler of the machinations of the US church hierarchy, predicted Friday that Francis would not appoint a successor to Wuerl for months. "It is way too early to name names." The state of the archdiocese has been upset since the month of June.

The Catholic community of Washington has grown considerably under the supervision of Wuerl, especially in predominantly Latin American and Asian parishes, while in most of the United States of the northeastern and central Atlantic coasts, the number of church members is going radically in the opposite direction. "In addition to the impending need for healing, they need someone who can oversee and organize this extraordinary growth," Palmo said.

Michael Sean Winters, editorialist at the National Catholic Reporter, said that Francis would seek an intellectually bishop to oversee a diocese in many Catholic schools, including the Catholic University of America and the United States. Georgetown University. The new bishop will also need political means to interact with President Trump's White House, where Wuerl – who was in frequent contact with previous administrations – sometimes seemed to be ruled out by an administration that seems to consult the evangelicals almost exclusively when it was not in the past. she is asking for a religious contribution. .

"Having someone who has learned American politics would be a really wise choice," Winters said.

Winters, who lives in the archdiocese and believes that Wuerl was unfairly rebuffed, downplayed the scale of the wave that prevailed in the archdiocese, but petitions garnered thousands of signatures and local Catholic figures asked Wuerl to withdraw. He accused Catholic right-wing websites of launching a protest movement against Wuerl and other liberal church leaders. "Suddenly, we are in Salem, and the spectral evidence is enough," he said, referring to the witch trials in Salem, Massachusetts.

But at the basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, the church adorned with blue domes of northeastern Washington, which was the scene of some demonstrations against Wuerl, revealed almost unanimously that the faithful of the mass that attended the mass that went to the resignation of Wuerl was the right answer to the scandal.

"I think doing it now is a good step forward," said Bonnie Finnerty, a mother of five who attends Mass about three times a week and who had just left her morning philosophy class at the University of Ottawa. John Paul II Institute. "The Pope signals his acceptance that people need a closure."

Catherine Pakaluk, a professor at the Catholic University, said that Wuerl's resignation "gives us a chance to move forward with a new spirit".

"This certainly indicates that Rome has become aware of the fact that the problems facing the American church must be solved," she said.

Others said that they were happy that Wuerl was leaving his post but wanted Francis to show more outrage about sexual abuse, instead of renting Wuerl for his departure. The pope wrote a letter accusing Wuerl's "nobility" of having resigned and saying that Wuerl's actions in Pittsburgh were justifiable mistakes instead of concealing crime.

Among the people who wanted Francis's stronger words was Nicole McCarthy, who pushed her daughter into a stroller in the basilica on Friday to get a blessing on her first birthday. "I have always grown up near the church," she said. "So for me, seeing the church as a place where we can not trust, it tears me apart."

Even a former employee of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, John Carr, who runs a center at Georgetown University and describes Wuerl as a friend and mentor, said that Wuerl's resignation was important. "It's a sad but necessary action for the good of the church," he said, "Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of one of his most important collaborators."

Now the Washingtonians are waiting for news of a new bishop to take over a storm-torn archdiocese. Even in retirement, Wuerl can play a major role in this choice: Pope Francis allowed him to retain his position in the Congregation for Bishops, the powerful committee that selects new church leaders.

Michelle Boorstein contributed to this report.