UNITED STATES
Crux
[Pope Francis and Clergy Sexual Abuse in Argentina – BishopAccountability.org]
John L. Allen Jr. and Ines San Martin
July 10, 2017
Archbishop Wilton Gregory of Atlanta, who served as president of the U.S. bishops during the white-hot period of the American abuse scandals in 2002-2003, says Pope Francis “gets it,” but cannot have the same understanding of the repercussions as someone from a culture where it’s been as intense as here. Gregory also called for deescalating rhetoric on immigration, and for defusing the bomb before it goes off with regard to racial tensions in America.
ORLANDO, Florida – Arguably few leaders in the American Catholic Church are better positioned than Archbishop Wilton Gregory of Atlanta, who served as the conference president during the white-hot period of the sexual abuse scandals in the U.S. in 2002-2003, to assess where Pope Francis stands on the issue.
His verdict?
“I’m convinced that he gets it, but I think that he gets it as an Argentinian,” Gregory said.
“That is, he gets it as someone who lives in a culture, and has come from a culture, where it has not been on the television or the headlines of the newspapers with such consistency,” Gregory said.
“I think he clearly understands the gravity of it, but the repercussions that keep occurring…” maybe not so much, the 69-year-old Gregory said.
Gregory spoke to Crux during the July 1-4 “Convocation of Catholic Leaders,” a gathering of almost 3,500 bishops, clergy, religious and laity held in Orlando, Florida.
Not long ago, Gregory led a liturgy of penance for the abuse scandals during a bishops’ meeting in Indianapolis, saying that the Church “can never apologize enough.” He defended the response of the U.S., the heart of which was the “zero tolerance” policy adopted under his leadership during a meeting of the conference in Dallas, but warned that the measures adopted by the Church must be constantly monitored and updated.
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