What happened?
Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Cardinal Donald Wuerl as Archbishop of Washington, but named him apostolic administrator until his successor is named. The cardinal, who offered to resign three years ago at the customary age of 75, had faced criticism over the McCarrick case and over his handling of abuse decades ago. (He denied wrongdoing.) Pope Francis praised Wuerl’s “nobility” in choosing not to defend himself publicly, adding: “Of this, I am proud and I thank you.”
What commentators are saying
John Allen of Crux said that Cardinal Wuerl was “among the most influential churchmen in American Catholicism over the last 50 years, and arguably the single most important of the last 20”. He was often the “glue” of a divided bishops’ conference, Allen said, and a key interpreter and ally of Pope Francis. Despite recent scandals, he was long seen as one of the “more aggressive” US bishops in pursuing zero tolerance on abuse.
Rocco Palmo, writing at his blog Whispers in the Loggia, said the “extraordinary” personal praise from Francis was “a practically unheard of gesture by a Pontiff on the resignation of a prelate, let alone one under the shadow of a crisis”.
He said the appointment of Cardinal Wuerl’s successor was “virtually certain to be Francis’s most high-stakes American appointment of his entire pontificate” and that talent scouts would “dig deep” to find the ideal replacement.
Mgr Charles Pope, a priest of the Archdiocese of Washington, said the cardinal had been an excellent administrator, “careful, just, cautious and measured; even if, at times, to a fault”. But he wished, as the McCarrick crisis unfolded, that Wuerl had been “less protective of the institution of the Church and been more like a grieved shepherd, angry that one of his predecessors had abused some of his flock”. The cardinal’s letter asking for forgiveness had been a breakthrough, Mgr Pope said. “Many in my congregation wept as I read it, (including me); others applauded.” He said: “Whatever errors in judgment have occurred, please remember his request for forgiveness.”
✣Seminarian shot dead by Cameroon army
What happened?
A seminarian was murdered by soldiers of the Cameroonian army, according to Archbishop Cornelius Fontem Esua of Bamenda. Gerard Anjiangwe was outside a church when soldiers approached in a truck, firing guns. He lay down praying the rosary. They interrogated him, the archbishop said, before shooting him three times in the back of the neck.
Why was it under-reported
The killing is the latest example of the atrocities the army is inflicting on the country’s English-speaking regions. Paul Biya, Cameroon’s 36-year leader, is cracking down on secessionists who want these English-speaking areas to have more independence. The bishops’ conference has called for dialogue and for Biya to step down. So far the crisis has been largely ignored by Western media. But it is escalating. Last month Samira Daoud from Amnesty said the situation was becoming more desperate, with “no one [being] spared from the violence”.
What will happen next?
Elections held earlier this month are likely to give Biya another seven years in power. That means Cameroon will head further down the path to civil war. The international community is being urged to put pressure on Biya to start a dialogue with rebels. The obvious country to take the lead is France, since most of Cameroon was a French colony until 1960. In Cameroon itself, much hope rests with the Church, which the UN’s International Crisis Group says is the “only actor” influential enough to prevent war.
✣The week ahead
A first draft of the youth synod’s final document will be presented on Wednesday. The text, prepared by a 12-member commission, summarises material from the synod’s first three weeks. It will be discussed by the synod fathers and then amended. A final draft will be voted on, a week on Sunday, before being passed on to Pope Francis.
Pope Francis will be attending a book launch in Rome on Tuesday. The book, Sharing the Wisdom of Time, consists of 250 interviews with elderly people, and its aim is to improve dialogue between generations. It is published by Loyola Press.
Ireland will hold another referendum next Friday – this time, on whether to remove blasphemy as an offence from the constitution. The Irish bishops’ conference said the clause is “largely obsolete”, while arguing that religious people should be able to contribute to debate without being ridiculed. Since 1855 there has only been one prosecution: it was unsuccessful.
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