Pope Summons All U.S. Cardinals to Rome
Sex scandals to get top priority
ROME, Apr 15, 02 (CWNews.com) - Pope John Paul II has
summoned to Rome all living American cardinals, including
the retired Cardinal James Hickey, for special meetings,
sources have told CWN.
The Pope has been criticized for not becoming more involved
in the ongoing priestly sexual abuse scandal enveloping the
American Church, but this latest move appears to answer
those concerns. It may also contradict statements made on
Saturday by Bishop Wilton Gregory, president of the US
bishops' conference, to reporters that the Pope has told
the US bishops to deal with the crisis among themselves.
At the center of the controversy is Cardinal Bernard Law of
Boston, who has been accused of negligence in dealing with
cases of sexually active priests and for whom there has
been a growing call for his resignation. The cardinal
issued a statement on Friday, saying he would not resign,
but sources have also told CWN that the cardinal offered
his resignation to the Vatican but that high-level figures
either there or among his brother US bishops convinced Law
to stay on, at least for now.
The details of the meeting between the US cardinals and the
Pope have not been revealed, nor has a timetable for those
talks.
Note: [editor's bold, brackets and italicized for emphasis]
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