The Diocese-wide group formed in Pittsburgh after last year's grand jury report into Catholic Church sexual abuse in Pennsylvania.

"There was really no venue for people to share that outrage, that pain, that disappointment and lack of trust in the people who had been our leaders," Paula Nettleship of CCOC says.

Now, with more than 1,000 members, they're looking for a voice in church affairs.

"We are calling for a place at the table with the hierarchy," Nettleship says.

"We are all partners in this together and that is the only way forward."

The CCOC has identified five areas of action:

• More help for sex-abuse survivors
• Financial transparency
• Addressing clericalism or the tendency of the clergy to be the supreme authority
• More diverse clergy, including studying women becoming deacons and married men becoming priests
• More lay oversight, including evaluations of David Zubik who is the bishop of Pittsburgh.

Zubik agreed to meet representatives of the group before writing a pastoral letter to the diocese outlining changes in the future.

CCOC representatives don't think the letter on its own will be enough. Change is needed too, they say.

"A letter from you is not going to be enough to satisfy or to move us forward as a church," Nettleship told Zubik.

"It's going to take all of us."

The CCOC hopes to attract representatives from every parish in the diocese.

Source

• CBS Pittburgh
• Image: Pittsburgh Post Gazette

He has been under increasing pressure to step down since a Pennsylvania grand jury report about clergy abuse criticised his handling of abuse cases when he was Bishop of Pittsburgh.

Last month, Wuerl went to Rome to ask Pope Francis to accept his resignation.

In his letter accepting Wuerl's resignation, Francis said:

"Your renunciation is a sign of your availability and docility to the Spirit who continues to act in his Church.

"In accepting your resignation, I ask you to remain as Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese until the appointment of your successor."

Francis also wrote: "This request rests on two pillars that have marked and continue to mark your ministry: to seek in all things the greater glory of God and to procure the good of the people entrusted to your care."

Francis said in Wuerl's resignation request he recognised "the heart of the shepherd who, by widening his vision to recognise a greater good that can benefit the whole body, prioritizes actions that support, stimulate and make the unity and the mission of the church grow above every kind of sterile division sown by the father of lies who, trying to hurt the shepherd, wants nothing more than the sheep to be dispersed (cf. Matt. 26-31)."

He also made clear he considers Wuerl's actions when he was bishop of Pittsburgh as "mistakes," not a cover-up or neglecting to deal with problems of abuse, and acknowledged that the cardinal could have defended himself in this field.

Francis also commended Wuerl for not engaging in self-defense, saying "Of this, I am proud and thank you.

"In this way, you make clear the intent to put God's project first, before any kind of personal project, including what could be considered as for the good of the church."

Source

• Catholic Herald
• America Magazine
• Image: CNN.com

Although he has not mentioned standing down, Cardinal Donald Wuerl has acknowledged calls from local priests and others for new leadership.

Allegations he mishandled clergy sex abuse reports - such as in relation to the alleged sexually coercive behavior of ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick - are behind appeals for his resignation.

Writing to the diocese's priests after a spending 90-minutes in prayer and discernment with them last Wednesday, Wuerl said:

"Among the many observations was that the archdiocese would be well served by new leadership to help move beyond the current confusion, disappointment and disunity."

Wuerl's letter also notes that during the period of prayer and discernment, he "heard voices calling for the beginning of healing. This I believe we need to do now."

Wuerl proposed a six-week "Season of Healing" beginning this Friday for prayer and recognition of the suffering of abuse victims.

In addition, he has promised to provide resources for the priests to respond to abuse survivors who may reach out to them.

A one-day healing retreat for abuse victims is also planned, which he says will include prayer and opportunities for professional counselling.

Wuerl, who succeeded ex-Cardinal McCarrick as Archbishop of Washington in 2006, says he had no knowledge of settlements paid to McCarrick's alleged victims, or of any complaints about McCarrick's behaviour.

Last month's release of a Pennsylvania grand jury report on clerical sex abuse of minors heightened public scrutiny of Wuerl.

It alleges that, over seven decades, more than 1,000 children had been abused by priests in six dioceses including Pittsburgh.

It goes on to note concerns about the way Wuerl managed priests who had been accused of sexual assault during his tenure of Bishop of Pittsburgh from 1988 to 2006.

Authorising the transfer and continued ministry of a priest who had been accused of committing acts of sexual abuse decades earlier is one such concern the report point to.

Wuerl denies knowing of the allegations when he authorised the transfer.

"While I understand this Report may be critical of some of my actions, I believe the Report confirms that I acted with diligence, with concern for the victims and to prevent future acts of abuse," he wrote.

While he was Bishop of Pittsburgh, Wuerl says he:

• Established a diocesan committee in 1989 (later called the Diocesan Review Board) to evaluate policies for responding to abuse allegations
• Implemented a policy formally encouraging Catholics making complaints to also report them directly to law enforcement agencies
• Sometimes informed civil authorities himself, even against the express wishes of the person making the allegations.

Source

• Crux Now
• The Washington Post
• Image: Last Commentary

In a video message posted on the Archdiocese of Boston website after the Pennsylvania Grand Jury report was released, O'Malley expressed his concern about the Church hierarchy's lack of accountability and offered a way to ensure improvements are made.

While many perpetrators have been held accountable for their crimes, O'Malley says the Church has yet "to establish clear and transparent systems of accountability and consequence for Church leadership whose failures have allowed these crimes to occur."

All who participate in the Church's mission must "embrace spiritual conversion.

"Legal transparency and pastoral accountability" must be demanded of them, he suggested.

This means immediate action needs to be taken, because "the clock is ticking."

O'Malley's comments build on those he made in late July after numerous allegations about McCarrick's sexual misconduct and abuse of diocesan seminarians emerged.

At that time O'Malley suggested future allegations against bishops needed to be handled as a matter of highest priority.

This would involve a new system being put in place to handle complaints against bishops.

The reforms should be clearly announced, so there can be no doubt about how such cases should be handled in the future, he said.

In his view, it's important for the Church to win back Catholics' trust - which can only be addressed with the "involvement and leadership of lay men and women in our Church, individuals who can bring their competence, experience and skills to the task we face."

"We must proceed quickly and with purpose. There is no time to waste," he said.

Source

• Catholic News Agency
• Vatican News
• Image: Catholic News Agency

More than 300 priests were linked to abuse claims and over 1,000 victims were identified, said Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro in a news conference following the report's release. Read more