Pope omits O’Malley from summit committee
‘It is a clear vote of no confidence’
Pope Francis has named the members of an organizing committee for a February summit aimed at preventing abuse, but did not include Boston Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley, who leads the Vatican advisory commission of the sex abuse of minors — an omission one church watcher called significant.
“His absence is very, very noteworthy,” said Peter Borre, founder of Boston’s Council of Parishes. “It is a clear vote of no confidence.”
The pope named four members of the committee that will prepare for the summit next year. The Rev. Hans Zollner is the pointperson for the group, which includes Maltese Archbishop Charles Scicluna, for a decade the Vatican’s sex crimes prosecutor, Francis appointee Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich and Indian Cardinal Oswald Gracias, a member of Francis’ key cardinal adviser group.
Francis summoned leaders of the world’s bishops conferences to the Vatican Feb. 21-24 after the abuse scandal erupted in his native South America and again in the U.S., and he botched the case of a Chilean bishop implicated in a cover-up.
The stakes of the meeting grew exponentially after the Vatican told U.S. bishops earlier this month not to vote on proposed new measures to investigate sexual misconduct or cover-up within their ranks. The absence of O’Malley, who was tapped to lead the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, immediately drew questions, Borre said.
“People at the top have been saying more of the same won’t cut it here,” he said.
In a statement, O’Malley said he will be at the summit.
“The proposal for such a meeting was developed by the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, was reviewed by the Council of Cardinals and subsequently accepted by the Holy Father. I am pleased that this meeting has been convoked by the Holy Father and I look forward to participating,” O’Malley said. “This is a critical moment for the universal Church in addressing the sexual abuse crisis.”
The Vatican still hasn’t explained why it blocked the vote on a U.S. code of conduct for bishops and a layled board to investigate them, though the proposals were only given to the Vatican at the last minute and were said to contain legal problems. The head of the U.S. bishops conference, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, said the Holy See wanted to delay any vote until after the February global summit.
However, it is seen as unlikely that such a diverse group of churchmen, some representing national churches that continue to deny or downplay the scandal, will over the course of four days come up with any universal proposals that come close to the accountability norms that U.S. bishops were seeking.