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Next Pope Must Have ‘Zero Tolerance’ for Sex Abuse, U.S. Cardinal Says For Cardinals, a Day for Oaths, Coffee and Sizing Up
(about 2 hours later)
VATICAN CITY — The next pope must commit himself to “zero tolerance” of the sexual abuse of minors by clergymen, a senior American cardinal said Monday, the first day of deliberations by the princes of the Catholic Church ahead of the papal election. VATICAN CITY — Like first-year seminarians, they walked through the glass doors on Monday carrying briefcases. Some arrived in chauffeured cars and taxis. Wearing long black coats and red caps, they took their assigned places in maroon lecture-halls seats, flipped through the assigned reading, recited prayers and swore on the Bible to “maintain rigorous secrecy” about their task.
The statement by Cardinal Francis George, the archbishop of Chicago, was a rare mention of the scandal in the context of discussing “papability” — the qualities and attributes desired by the cardinals in the man who will succeed the pope emeritus, Benedict XVI, who relinquished the position on Thursday. Some 145 cardinals gathered on the first day of meetings required upon the end of a papacy — usually by death, but in this rare case, resignation. The morning session was devoted to preparatory matters. Through the week, the cardinals will discuss matters of importance to the church and choose a date — possibly as early as Sunday or Monday — for the conclave to elect a successor to Benedict XVI, who stepped aside last week.
“He obviously has to accept the universal code of the church now, which is zero tolerance for anyone who has abused a child,” Cardinal George said in answer to a question at a news conference. The general congregation, as it is called, will also be a chance for the cardinals to make a case for what kind of pope they want, and to size one another up at coffee breaks and later over dinner. All have emphasized in interviews over the past week that they want a prayerful pope who can effectively transmit the Catholic message.
“There’s a deep-seated conviction, certainly on the part of anyone who has been a pastor,” he said, “that this has to be continually addressed.” But nuances are already emerging. Some say they want a pope capable of reforming the bureaucracy of the Vatican, which has been hit with accusations of corruption in the past year. Others suggest a pope must come from the Third World, where Roman Catholicism is more vibrant than Europe. Still others want a pope with a strong governing hand.
On Monday, a senior American cardinal made a rare mention of the clerical sexual abuse scandal in that discourse. Cardinal Francis George, the archbishop of Chicago, said the new pope “obviously has to accept the universal code of the church now, which is zero tolerance for anyone who has abused a child.” Speaking in answer to a question at a news conference, Cardinal George said, “There’s a deep-seated conviction, certainly on the part of anyone who has been a pastor, that this has to be continually addressed.”
The cardinal asserted that efforts by American churchmen had led to a sharp reduction in reported abuse cases. “But there’s still the victims,” he continued. “The wound is still deep in their hearts, and as long as it’s with them it will be with us. The pope has to keep this in mind.”The cardinal asserted that efforts by American churchmen had led to a sharp reduction in reported abuse cases. “But there’s still the victims,” he continued. “The wound is still deep in their hearts, and as long as it’s with them it will be with us. The pope has to keep this in mind.”
The cardinals met on Monday in the Paul VI auditorium on the first day of their general congregation meeting, when — under Vatican rules governing the period between popes — they discuss church business, set a date for the conclave when they will elect a new pope and exchange views on the kind of pope they want. It is also a crucial time for the men to get to know one another and assess possible candidates. The church’s response to the latest wave of sexual abuse scandals, which emerged with full force a decade ago in the United States and in to Europe and elsewhere more recently, has not been the subject of as much discussion in the lead-up to the conclave. But it was not surprising that an American prelate addressed the matter so forcefully. In 2002, United States bishops pressed a “zero tolerance” policy — the rapid removal from ministry of any priest credibly accused of abuse — and other nations’ bishops followed suit in later years. The Vatican has also taken a number of steps that it says will tighten sanctions against abuser priests.
The date for the start of the conclave has not yet been set, as all of the cardinals who will participate in it have yet to arrive, the Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, said. The date of the conclave should be fixed in the next few days, he said. One advocate for clerical abuse victims, David Clohessy of the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, called Cardinal George’s statement encouraging. “It should be a topic and we are glad that Cardinal George said it will be and must be,” he said, “but the focus has got to be on safeguarding kids first, healing victims second.”
Still, the cardinals who are here have been giving interviews over the past week signaling the themes they are interested in. All emphasize they want a prayerful pope who can effectively transmit the Catholic message. But nuances emerge: some say they want a pope capable of reforming the bureaucracy of the Vatican, which has been hit with accusations of corruption in the past year. Others suggest a pope must come from the Third World, where Roman Catholicism is more vibrant than Europe. Still others want a pope with a strong governing hand. Separately, Vatican officials declined to comment on The acknowledgment on Sunday by Cardinal Keith O’Brien, the most senior Roman Catholic cleric in Britain and a vehement condemner of homosexuality, that he had engaged in inappropriate sexual conduct. He announced his resignation a week earlier and said he was not coming to the conclave after three priests and a former priest accused him of making improper advances decades ago.
Responding to the latest wave of sexual abuse scandals, which emerged with full force a decade ago in the United States and in Europe and elsewhere in more recent years, has not been the subject of as much discussion. But it was not surprising that an American prelate addressed the matter so forcefully. United States bishops early on pressed a “zero tolerance” policy — the rapid removal from ministry of any priest credibly accused of abuse — and many other nations’ bishops followed suit. The Vatican has also taken a number of steps that it says will tighten sanctions against abuser priests. “We’re not going to spend the rest of the week talking about Cardinal O’Brien,” the Rev. Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman, said in response to questions from British journalists at a news conference. Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl, the archbishop of Washington, said the issue had not come up at the meeting.
One advocate for clerical sex abuse victims, David Clohessy of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, called Cardinal George’s statement encouraging. “It should be a topic and we are glad that Cardinal George said it will be and must be,” he said, “but the focus has got to be on safeguarding kids first, healing victims second.” Questions may arise among the cardinals, Cardinal George suggested, about a report by three senior cardinals on corruption and leaks within the Vatican bureaucracy, or Curia, that was ordered by Benedict. Benedict consigned the report to his successor, and it remains secret.
Vatican officials declined to comment on the acknowledgment on Sunday by Cardinal Keith O’Brien, the most senior Roman Catholic cleric in Britain, that he had engaged in inappropriate sexual conduct. Three priests and a former priest have accused him of making improper advances decades ago. “I imagine that as we move along, there will be questioning of the cardinals involved in the governing of the Curia to see what they think has to be changed,” he said. “Anything can come up.”
“We’re not going to spend the rest of the week talking about Cardinal O’Brien,” Father Lombardi said in response to questions from British journalists at a news conference. Cardinal O’Brien announced his resignation after the accusations were made public and said he would not attend the conclave. The cardinals met in the Paul VI hall, a building where popes normally hold general audiences and where bishops from around the world gather in synods. No date for the conclave’s start can be set until all the elector cardinals — those under 80 and eligible to vote — arrive. Father Lombardi said 12 of the 115 elector cardinals were still on their way. The date of the conclave should be fixed in the next few days, he said.
Father Lombardi said 142 of the 207 members of the College of Cardinals were present. Of those, just 103 of the 115 cardinals who are under the age of 80 — and thus eligible to vote for the new pope under Vatican rules — had so far arrived, he said. The Italian news media have speculated that the starting date for the conclave could be March 10 or 11. Cardinal George said the eminences wanted to have a pope before the start of Holy Week, which is Palm Sunday on March 24, but would not be rushed. “We’ll take the time necessary to do the job well,” he said.
“We’d like to be done before Holy Week starts, and have a pope and go back to our dioceses,” Cardinal George said. “We’ll take the time necessary to do the job well.” The general congregation is the last chance in this process for cardinals over 80 to make their voices heard, and while time limits are imposed on speakers, the older crowd is indulged, past participants have said. Thirty-nine over-age cardinals were present on Monday, Father Lombardi said. The college has 207 members over all.
Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday on March 24 and culminates with Easter, on March 31. After the election, the new pope will be installed with a large-scale ceremony. The Vatican press operation appears to be making an effort to be more open about what is by definition a highly secretive process. Telepace, an Italian-based Catholic television station, showed the cardinals going into the hall live. The Vatican has promised daily news conferences.
In a rare glimpse of the process, the Vatican showed reporters footage of the cardinals entering the assembly hall and taking their seats, flipping through the book of conclave ritual with its green hard cover, the “Ordo rituum conclavis.” “Perhaps they decided that it’s best to talk to the press rather than not talk to the press,” Cardinal George said.
The cardinals took assigned seats, swore an oath of secrecy and agreed to send a message to Benedict, who has retreated to the papal summer home in Castel Gandolfo outside of Rome. At the Vatican news conference, reporters were shown clips of the prelates inside the hall, walking past heavily draped windows in a corridor, entering the assembly hall and taking their seats in the raked auditorium, chatting with each other and flipping through the book of conclave ritual with its green hard cover, the Ordo rituum conclavis.
A baker’s dozen of eminences spoke during a brief session, but mainly about logistical matters. Before that, they spent a half-hour break at a buffet set up to serve coffee. “It was an important moment for personal contacts, for exchanges at a more particular level,” Father Lombardi said. The cardinals sat in assigned seats to make it easier to keep attendance and keep track of who speaks, Father Lombardi said.
The princes of the church will speak through a microphone, which at the last conclave, in 2005, would be cut off generally after roughly seven minutes, Cardinal George said in an interview. Interpreters, sworn to secrecy, will render their comments into English, Spanish, Italian, German and French.
The cardinals agreed to send a message to Benedict, who has retreated to the papal summer home in Castel Gandolfo outside of Rome. Much of the session, which began at 9:30 a.m., was taken up with each man walking to the front table for the personal oath. At 11 a.m., they took a half-hour break, holding cardinal kaffeeklatsches. “It was an important moment for personal contacts, for exchanges at a more particular level,” Father Lombardi said.
A baker’s dozen of eminences spoke during a brief session, but mainly about logistical matters.
“As a start, it was very positive,” Father Lombardi said.