The past few weeks have reminded all of us of the struggle that continues to take place in the Church in the United States and throughout the world. 

 

It is a struggle for holiness particularly among some members of the clergy. It is a struggle to live up to the calling that Jesus has given to His Church to make Him and His teaching present as the way, the truth and the life.

 

On June 20, Cardinal Timothy Dolan announced that the Review Board of the Archdiocese of New York had examined an accusation of sexual abuse of a minor by then-Father Theodore McCarrick over 45 years ago. 

 

Following the provisions of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, including alerting law enforcement officials, the board concluded that the allegation was credible and substantiated. then-Cardinal McCarrick has maintained his innocence but has accepted the decision.

 

Subsequently, it was revealed that Archbishop McCarrick had been accused of three separate allegations of sexual misconduct with adults while serving as Bishop of Metuchen and Archbishop of Newark. Two financial settlements resulted from those allegations.

 

With this background, on July 28, Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Archbishop McCarrick from the College of Cardinals. 

 

According to a statement issued by the Vatican, the Holy Father then “ordered his suspension from the

exercise of any public ministry, together with the obligation to remain in a house yet to be indicated to him, for a life of prayer and penance until the accusations made against him are examined in a regular canonical trial.”

 

Reacting to this news, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, the president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops spoke for the bishops stating that accusations were a cause for “anger, sadness, and shame” among the bishops. 

 

And he noted that, “Both the abuses themselves, and the fact that they have remained undisclosed for decades, have caused great harm to people’s lives and represent grave moral failures of judgement on the part of Church leaders.”

 

Since 2002, the Church in the United States has undertaken rigorous efforts to address the scandal of sexual abuse, particularly as it relates to minors. In this column, since my consecration as Bishop of Rockford in 2012, I have written a number of times to detail those efforts. 

 

I have also taken the opportunity on various occasions to apologize to the victims of sexual abuse within the Church. I do so again now. I apologize to any who have been the victims of the sexual abuse by the clergy.

 

The fact that now, 16 years after the public revelations of failures on the part of Church leadership and some members of the clergy, we are still dealing with such horrific stories shows the entrenchment of evil that must be combatted. 

 

Periodically I receive letters complaining about the policies and training adopted by the Church and the Diocese of Rockford for the protection of young people. The recent news involving Archbishop McCarrick reminds us of why those policies and the resulting clerical discipline are necessary.

 

This recent news, however, raises further questions that cry out for answers. For example, who knew the details of these allegations that remained hidden for so long? Since bishops are especially answerable to the pope, what means of communications with him was followed, should have been followed and should be carried out in the future so that bishops and cardinals are held accountable for any misdeeds? 

 

In short, what kind of reexamination of our policies is needed to address these issues to heal our Church?

 

Sadly, these sinful acts and the questions that result show us that the struggle for holiness is on-going. In truth, it is never ending. 

 

As bishops we need to continue to work on behalf of the faithful of Christ’s Church to find remedies and ensure transparency to address the sinful acts and the questions that fracture our Church and our faith at all levels. 

 

I pray we can develop what is necessary to further strengthen our policies and procedures for safe environments and just reporting and accountability practices.

 

Finally, in acknowledging the sins within the Church both past and present, it cannot go unmentioned that the overwhelming majority of our priests, deacons, and bishops serve the Church with lives of sacrifice and holiness. Please thank them and continue to pray for them.