Scandals spur calls for cardinal to quit

Named in Pa. report, linked to Mccarrick

Cardinal Donald Wuerl, the Roman Catholic archbishop of Washington, is facing a storm of criticism and calls for his resignation after becoming entangled in two sexual abuse scandals roiling the church.

A scathing grand jury report this week on rampant abuse in six Pennsylvania dioceses accused Wuerl of helping to protect some child-molesting priests while he was bishop of Pittsburgh from 1988 to 2006.

At the same time, Wuerl, who has served the church since 1966, is facing widespread skepticism over his recent insistence that he knew nothing about years of alleged sexual misconduct by former Cardinal Theodore Mccarrick, his predecessor in the nation’s capital.

The Washington Archdiocese, home to more than 630,000 Catholics, is considered a power center for the church in the U.S.

The scandals are a stunning turn for the 77-year-old leader, who prided himself on taking tough steps to combat clergy sex abuse in Pittsburgh.

Some conservative Catholics are calling for his resignation or ouster, and a petition is circulating to remove his name from a parochial high school in suburban Pittsburgh.

Wuerl has said he has no plans to resign. He apologized for the damage inflicted on the victims but also defended his actions.

“The diocese worked to meet or exceed the requirements of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and the reporting requirements of Pennsylvania law,” Wuerl said. “We showed pastoral concern by reaching out to victims and their families, while reporting allegations to the authorities so they could investigate crimes.”

The Vatican on Thursday issued its first statement on the grand jury report, expressing “shame and sorrow” while also suggesting that reforms undertaken by U.S. Catholic leaders had sharply reduced the prevalence of clergy sex abuse since 2002. The statement did not mention Wuerl.

Separately, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops announced an investigation into the Mccarrick scandal and said it would invite the Vatican to participate.

Wuerl has not been charged with wrongdoing but is named numerous times in the grand jury report.

Alex Brandon The Associated Press file Archbishop Donald Wuerl prays in October 2010 as he celebrates Mass at the Cathedral of Saint Matthew the Apostle in Washington. He has said he has no plans to resign amid cricism over church abuse scandals.