Church Official: Letter Accusing Pope of Turning Blind Eye to Abuse Claims Deserves ‘Answers’

The president of the Conference of Catholic Bishops released a statement Monday responding to an accusatory letter by a former top Vatican official. Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo said that questions raised by Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano “deserve answers that are conclusive and based on evidence.” He continued, “Without those answers, innocent men may be tainted by false accusations and the guilty may be left to repeat the sins of the past.” Vigano’s letter accused the pope and other top officials of turning a blind eye to abuse allegations. Vigano said he personally told Pope Francis about allegations against Cardinal Theodore McCarrick five years before McCarrick was suspended from the church. DiNardo also said in his statement that he was “eager for an audience” with the pope to gain his support for his plan to combat sexual abuse. The plan includes making it easier to report abuse and improving complaint-resolving procedures.