The archbishop of Washington is defending his actions amid intense scrutiny upon the Tuesday release of a Pennsylvania grand jury investigation that alleges more than 300 Catholic priests abused more than 1,000 children dating back to 1947.
Cardinal Donald Wuerl spent 18 years as the bishop of Pittsburgh, from 1988 to 2006, before he became archbishop of Washington. His predecessor Theodore McCarrick, who served as archbishop until 2006, stepped down last month from the College of Cardinals as he faced accusations of sexual abuse. Wuerl has previously denied knowing about the accusations against McCarrick.
Wuerl defended his conduct in Pittsburgh upon the release of the 1,356-page grand jury report, which detailed several examples of how Wuerl removed some priests from their parishes after they were accused of sexual abuse while he allowed others to remain in the ministry. Wuerl himself was not accused of abuse in the report.
“While I understand this Report may be critical of some of my actions, I believe the Report confirms that I acted with diligence, with concern for the victims and to prevent future acts of abuse,” the archbishop said in a statement. “I sincerely hope that a just assessment of my actions, past and present, and my continuing commitment to the protection of children will dispel any notions otherwise made by this report.”
The Washington archdiocese created a website, TheWuerlRecord.com, to defend the cardinal.
“The following information highlights the child protection efforts of Cardinal Donald Wuerl during his tenure as the Bishop of Pittsburgh, from 1988 to 2006, and provides additional context not included in the report on Cardinal Wuerl’s work as a longtime advocate and voice on this issue,” the website reads.
According to the investigation, Wuerl wrote to the Vatican in 1989 about several priests who had been accused of sexually abusing children. In the letter, he stated Catholic parishioners had the right to know whether a priest accused of misconduct had been reassigned to their parish, and warned the church could be held liable.
Yet after he sent the letter, Wuerl allowed Ernest Paone, who was accused of molesting children, to transfer to another diocese.
“In spite of Wuerl’s statements to the Vatican, the clear and present threat that Paone posed to children was hidden and kept secret from parishioners in three states. Wuerl’s statements had been meaningless without any action,” the report said.
In 1995, another priest named Edward L. Kryston was accused of inappropriately touching young girls at school. Professionals at a treatment center said it was “very important that he had NO contact with adolescents,” but after the assessment of the priest was later softened Wuerl assigned Kryston to a parish, the report said. Wuerl put Kryston on administrative leave in 2002 and assigned him to a retirement home for priests.
In a case in 1998, Wuerl gave William P. O’Malley a job in the church following a recommendation from a psychiatrist that he be returned to the ministry, saying he hadn’t had sexual contact with a minor since 1982, the investigation said. Several victims later came forward to say they had been abused by O’Malley. Some of the abuse occurred after Wuerl placed O’Malley back into the ministry, the report said.
There were also instances detailed in the report that showed Wuerl acted to remove priests accused of misconduct.
In 1993, after the Vatican ordered Wuerl to reinstate Anthony J. Cipolla, Wuerl traveled to Rome to fight the order, which was eventually reversed.
Wuerl also refused to assign Charles J. Chatt, who had admitted to sexual contact with several minors, to a new parish. He eventually asked Chatt to withdraw from the ministry.
A spokesman for the archdiocese did not respond to the Washington Examiner’s request for comment.
