Vatican City — A Vatican letter obtained by The Associated Press makes clear that the Holy See blocked US bishops from taking measures to address the clergy sex abuse scandal because US church leaders failed to sufficiently consult with Rome beforehand.
The November 11 letter from the Vatican's Cardinal Marc Ouellet provides the primary reason why Rome balked at the measures that were to be voted on by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops during its Nov. 12-14 assembly. The blocked vote stunned abuse survivors and other Catholics who were demanding action from U.S. bishops on priestly sex abuse.
Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, listens to a reporter's question during a news conference. File picture: Patrick Semansky/AP
Ouellet's letter undermines the version of events provided by the conference president, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo. It could also provide fodder for questions during a weeklong spiritual retreat of U.S. bishops that opens Wednesday in Chicago.
