A lay board appointed 15 years ago by the U.S. Conference of Bishops to investigate the priest sex abuse scandal is seeking to be reappointed and given the power to probe high-ranking members of the Catholic Church in the United States, according to a bombshell letter obtained by Sneed.
The nine-member panel — which included Illinois Supreme Court Justice Anne Burke; President Barack Obama’s former CIA chief and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta; powerful Washington, D.C., attorney Robert Bennett; and New Mexico Supreme Court Justice Petra Jimenez Maes — worked together last week by phone to hammer out its request, a copy of which is included below.
Burke, on behalf of the group, sent the letter to U.S. Conference of Bishops president Cardinal Daniel DiNardo on Friday.
The letter cites recent claims by a retired top Vatican official that Pope Francis himself knew about sexual misconduct allegations against the former archbishop of Washington, Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, but that Francis restored him to public ministry anyway. McCarrick resigned in July after an abuse allegation lodged against him was deemed “credible.”
“We were never given the power to investigate the bishops,” Burke told Sneed. “We need to know why Washington, D.C., Archbishop McCarrick and others rose in their ecclesiastical careers when troubling facts regarding sexual abuse were known by the hierarchy which promoted them.”
“Until these bishops and cardinals admit their fault and knowledge of what was occurring and their role in it, we are not going to be able to restore trust in our Church,” Burke added.
The letter notes the lay board was “independent and impartial,” was “widely praised both inside and outside the church,” and stresses that the creation of any new lay board should be a totally independent.
However, Sneed hears Francis is the only one who could make the decision to re-appoint the old U.S. Conference of Bishops lay board — and is the only one to authorize the investigation of Bishops.
“In order to protect the integrity and representatives of the Holy See, it is essential the Holy See promptly create an independent lay board to investigate current allegations and report their findings to the National Review Board,” said Bennett.
“Our lay board was well recognized for independence, integrity and competence in dealing with these matters,” he said.
Full story at The Chicago Sun-Times.
I wouldn’t trust any panel that is as heavily vested in secular politics as this panel. Rather, we need a panel that is heavily vested in Catholicism and whose members are beyond reproach.
I nominate Scott Hahn.
Scott Hahn? No thanks, Opus Dei and its relentless pursuit of power and money is not the answer to this crisis. It’s not good that they are probably already positioning their priests and prelates to step into vacancies.
Opus Dei? I have to say that you sound much like those in the 70s and 80s who railed against the Trilateral Commission.
Do you have anything to substantiate your claim?
Franciscan University has announced that one of its’ priests, who is now deceased, has been accused of an incident in the 1990’s. There was an uproar earlier this year about how the administration handled accusations against several students and a professor.
It has made a new website through which individuals can report incidents that have occurred.
https://integrityandtruth.franciscan.edu/
Oddly enough some of those heavily invested in the Catholic church are the ones in question and others seeking to protect the church name over the victim’s due justice sweep it under the rug. While I am Catholic, and have good priests (of which there are many every where) there seems to be this underlying rule where they will turn their backs for the sake of the Church. Not just with abuse but also within the schools on issues such as bullying, and teachers who are opinionated and cast out children they don’t like or who are a challenge.
I don’t want to see anyone associated in ANY way with Obama on this Lay panel, NO WAY!!!!!!
I believe the previous panel earned the respect of the laity — and perhaps quietly several Bishops — for the integrity of their work. ISome other members with similar professional qualifications but different viewpoints on certain items are certainly desirable.
That these laity seek to reappoint themselves should disqualify them. Why are they pridefully seeking such reappointment on their own? Lust for power? Lust for attention? Seeking the stipend or the free stays in fancy hotels and dining nights out after their meetings?
One problem is that it isn’t just clergy who are guilty of sexual abuse. Currently Presentation High School in the Diocese of San Jose is embroiled in a sex abuse and lawsuit controversy that has resulted in the school president resigning for her role in covering up sexual abuse of students by a teacher. Why do Catholic institutions attract so many sexual degenerates, and why do so many Catholic administrators cover it all up? The bishop released a lame statement about the need for healing and so forth at the school and for investigations. Laity are sick of all these statements and coverups.
Amazing you bring that up. I’m close to the Presentation community. Mary Miller should do jail time for failing to act in accord with being a mandated reporter to police concerning abuse of students that she knew about. And that went on for thirty years. All to protect the school’s reputation. Nothing to protect students. Ironically the school’s motto is “Deeds not Words.” Yep. Mary’s deeds spoke louder than her words alright. Like so much of the church, the school’s reputation and public face are being revealed to be a huge lie. All for money. All for power. All for false reputation.
Why aren’t Bishops mandated reporters? A pointed hat and walking stick [miter and crozier] certainly should not be a DO NOT GO TO JAIL card.
As to protecting a reputation, what about those associated with an institution who have followed the rules well?
Rumbling in the pews, anyone?