Chicago's George Blunt on Sex Abuse

By Daniel J.wakin
Denver Post
March 5, 2013

http://www.denverpost.com/nationworld/ci_22716884/chicagos-george-blunt-sex-abuse

VATICAN CITY — The next pope must commit himself to "zero tolerance" of the sexual abuse of minors by clergymen, a senior U.S. cardinal said Monday, the first day of deliberations by the princes of the Catholic Church ahead of the papal election.

The statement by Cardinal Francis George, the archbishop of Chicago, was a rare mention of the scandal in the context of discussing "papability" — the qualities and attributes desired by the cardinals in the man who will succeed the pope emeritus, Benedict XVI, who relinquished the position Thursday.

"He obviously has to accept the universal code of the church now, which is zero tolerance for anyone who has abused a child," George said in answer to a question at a news conference. "There's a deep-seated conviction, certainly on the part of anyone who has been a pastor, that this has to be continually addressed."

The cardinal asserted that efforts by American churchmen had led to a sharp reduction in reported abuse cases.

"But there's still the victims," he continued. "The wound is still deep in their hearts, and as long as it's with them it will be with us. The pope has to keep this in mind."

The cardinals met Monday in the Paul VI auditorium on the first day of their general congregation meeting, when — under Vatican rules governing the period between popes — they discuss church business, set a date for the conclave when they will elect a new pope and exchange views on the kind of pope they want. It is also a crucial time for the men to get to know one another and assess possible candidates.

The Associate Press reported Monday that the cardinals want to talk to Vatican managers about allegations of corruption and cronyism within the top levels of the Catholic Church.

The Holy See's administrative shortcomings were thrust into stark relief last year with the publication of documents stolen from Benedict's desk that exposed the petty infighting, turf battles and allegations of corruption, nepotism and cronyism in the highest echelons of the Catholic Church.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

The Vatican said 107 of the 115 voting-age cardinals had arrived by Monday afternoon for the pre-conclave meetings, at which cardinals organize the election process, discuss the problems of the church and get to know one another before voting.

No date has been set yet for the conclave and one may not be decided on officially for a few more days; the dean of the College of Cardinals has said a date won't be finalized until all the cardinals have arrived.

Speculation has mounted that the conclave might begin around March 11, with the aim of having a new pope installed by March 17, the Sunday before Palm Sunday and the start of Holy Week.

With 115 electors, 77 votes are needed to reach the two-thirds majority to be elected pope.

The Associated Press