Bishop David Zubik and Donald Cardinal Wuerl have been named as defendants in 12 new lawsuits filed against the Diocese of Pittsburgh. Child sexual abuse and the diocesan cover-up of the abuse are the reasons for the lawsuits.
This comes on the heels of a decision by the Vatican to call on U.S. bishops to delay any action addressing the sexual abuse of minors and others. Columnist Daniel Burns rightly points out:
The American abuse crisis will be addressed only when the concrete administration of American dioceses is put into the hands of leaders more responsive to the demands of rank-and-file American Catholics. But these days Rome seems more open to power-sharing with the Chinese Communist Party than with its own bishops. The party may soon be granted a role in the selection of the Chinese hierarchy, but when American bishops wish to formalize preliminary measures against abuse in their own dioceses, Rome suddenly sees a threat to its apparently fragile authority.
Daniel Burns
Indeed, the Vatican appears to be sending mixed messages. Who is more trustworthy? The U.S. bishops or the Communist Chinese government?
