New York City, N.Y., Sep 20, 2018 / 16:00 pm
The Archbishop of New York said Thursday that while he has confidence in the way Pope Francis is handling the Church's ongoing sexual abuse crisis, he has grown "impatient" while awaiting a decision from the pope on a request made by U.S. bishops more than one month ago.
Speaking at a press conference Sept. 21, Cardinal Timothy Dolan called for a formal investigation- an apostolic visitation- of the Church in the United States in response to allegations that have surfaced in recent months regarding decades of sexual immorality on the part of Archbishop Theodore McCarrick.
"Part of my people saying 'we're beginning to lose trust in bishops' is their legitimate question as to how could a man continue to rise in the Church with a background like that?' And that's a darn good question, that I share. We have got to get to the bottom of that."
"How [that happens] is an ongoing question. I think particularly an apostolic visitation from the Holy See that included lay professionals would be a particularly effective way to do that. We've proposed that to the Holy See and we wait."
An apostolic visitation was formally proposed to the Vatican in an Aug. 16 statement from Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, president of the U.S. bishops' conference. It has since been reiterated by several U.S. bishops.
While DiNardo and other leaders of the bishops' conference met with Pope Francis Sept. 13, there has not yet been any announcement from the Vatican regarding an apostolic visitation.
Within the Church, only the Vatican has the authority to order an investigation into the conduct of those bishops who stand accused of covering up the sexual coercion and assault McCarrick is alleged to have committed.
Dolan said that if an apostolic visitation "doesn't happen, there has to be an equally effective way" to investigate the circumstances surrounding the ecclesiastical career of Archbishop McCarrick, though he did not offer particular suggestions.
Asked by a reporter why approval for an apostolic visitation had not been forthcoming, Dolan answered: "I tend to get as impatient as you obviously are, so I don't know the answer to that."
The cardinal was also asked if the pope is doing enough to address concerns about sexual abuse and misconduct in the Church in the United States.
"So far," Dolan said in response.
"I mean, you won't be surprised that I love him and trust him very much and know that he's on our side. So I think...I mean he has a beautiful posture of reflection, of 'let's not act impetuously,' you know- he's spoken with prophetic fire in condemning this.
"I trust that he's going to come through," Dolan said. "But I don't mind admitting that I get a little impatient too."