Cardinal Cupich: Sex abuse summit
to promote a culture change
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| Pope Francis meeting with Cardinal Blase Cupich.(file photo) (Vatican Media) |
In an interview with Crux, the on-line Catholic news
service, U.S. Cardinal Blase Cupich, describes the anti-abuse summit called by
Pope Francis as the beginning of a worldwide reform intended to bring about a
change in culture regarding how the Church protects children.
By Seán-Patrick Lovett
Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago is part of
the organizing Committee for the February 21 to 24 meeting of
Presidents of Bishops’ Conferences, called to focus on the protection of
children in the Church. In the Cruxinterview,
Cardinal Cupich confirms that the Committee is “committed to achieving specific
outcomes from this meeting that reflect the mind of Pope Francis.”
He also stresses the consultative role of “both clerics and lay women and men,
who have shown expertise and experience” in the area of abuse.
A global summit for a global Church
The Cardinal emphasizes that, by calling the February
summit, Pope Francis is seeking the “full involvement of the global Church in
assuring the protection of children around the world from clerical sexual
abuse.”
The Pope understands this to be a global issue,
says Cardinal Cupich, “and he wants to reinforce our shared commitment as a
Church to establishing responsiveness, accountability, and transparency.”
By calling all the Presidents of Episcopal Conferences from
around the world, he says, the Pope is seeking “both a comprehensive
understanding of past failings, as well as global solutions moving forward.”
A change of culture
Cardinal Cupich says he is aware of the high
expectations for positive and concrete outcomes from the February
meeting. But he adds that, in order to fully address the issue of sexual abuse,
deeper transformation is needed.
Pope Francis is calling for “a change of culture”,
continues the Cardinal. That is, “a reform in how we approach ministry. For, in
addition to being a crime, sexual abuse of minors by clerics is about the
corruption of our ministry. This is why this meeting has to be understood as
part of a long-term commitment to reform, realizing that one meeting will not
solve every issue,” he said.
A worldwide reform
Cardinal Cupich concludes by describing the February meeting
in the Vatican as “the start of a process… The beginning of a worldwide
reform that will need to be ongoing and will involve a process of
initiatives of regional, national and diocesan levels.”
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