Cupich dismisses Viganò claims as
a ‘rabbit hole’
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| Caardinal Blase Cupich in 2015.(CNA) |
The cardinal said that
Pope Francis 'has got to get on with other things, of talking about the
environment'
Archbishop of Chicago Blase
Cupich has dismissed recent allegations made by a former Vatican ambassador to
the U.S., saying that Pope Francis has a “bigger agenda” to worry about,
including defending migrants and protecting the environment.
Speaking Aug. 27 to Chicago’s
NBC 5, Cupich said that the pope has “got to get on with other things, of
talking about the environment and protecting migrants and carrying on the work
of the Church.”
Cupich described the contents of
Archbishop Carlos Maria Viganò’s 11-page testimony, published Aug. 25, as a
“rabbit hole” that he does not think the Church should be going down.
Vigano’s testimony claimed that
Pope Francis had removed restrictions on Archbishop Theodore McCarrick that had
been imposed by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. It also stated that McCarrick was
instrumental in Cupich’s appointment as Archbishop of Chicago in 2014.
McCarrick resigned from the
College of Cardinals in July of this year, following a series of public
allegations against him concerning the sexual abuse of minors, seminarians, and
priests. The dioceses of Newark and Metuchen subsequently confirmed they had
previously reached two out-of-court-settlements with adult accusers.
Cupich dismissed the claims of
McCarrick’s influence in his appointment, telling NBC 5 that “It’s not as
though I just fell out of the sky.”
Cupich was elevated to the
College of Cardinals in November 2016. He was ordained a bishop in 1998. Prior
to becoming the Archbishop of Chicago, Cupich led the Rapid City and Spokane
dioceses.
The cardinal also defended Pope
Francis’ record on combating sexual abuse, saying that “the record shows,
whenever there’s actionable information, Pope Francis acts.”
Cupich also implied that racism was
a motivating factor behind the release of Viganò’s letter and the ensuing
criticism of the pope.
“Quite frankly, they also don’t
like him because he’s a Latino,” said Cupich. Pope Francis was born in Buenos
Aires, Argentina, to parents of Italian descent.
Last week, Illinois Attorney
General Lisa Madigan said that the Catholic Church “has a moral obligation to
provide its parishioners and the public a complete and accurate accounting of
all sexually inappropriate behavior involving priests in Illinois.” Each of the
state’s six bishops agreed to assist with this report.
During the Monday interview,
Cupich noted that child sexual abuse is not a problem limited to the Catholic
Church, and that the state should be investigating other organizations as well.
“It’s not just about the
Catholic Church. Let’s look at all the agencies and institutions that deal with
children on a day-to-day basis,” he said.
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