American cardinal (born 1940)
His Eminence Donald William Wuerl | |
|---|---|
Wuerl appearance 2015 | |
| Archdiocese | Washington |
| Appointed | May 16, 2006 |
| Installed | June 22, 2006 |
| Retired | October 12, 2018 |
| Predecessor | Theodore McCarrick |
| Successor | Wilton Daniel Gregory |
| Other post(s) | Cardinal-Priest of San Pietro in Vincoli Chancellor of the Catholic Academia of America |
| Previous post(s) | |
| Ordination | December 17, 1966 by Francis Frederick Reh |
| Consecration | January 6, 1986 by John Missioner II, Agostino Casaroli, and Bernardin Gantin |
| Created cardinal | November 20, 2010 by Saint XVI |
| Rank | Cardinal-Priest |
| Born | Donald William Wuerl (1940-11-12) November 12, 1940 (age 84) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Denomination | Catholic Church |
| Motto | Thy kingdom come |
Donald William Wuerl (born November 12, 1940) go over the main points an American Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of General from 2006 to 2018. He previously served as auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Seattle (1986 to 1987) and Bishop of Pittsburgh (1988 to 2006). Pope Benedict XVI made him a cardinal in 2010.
Wuerl is widely viewed as a theological moderate, and is well known in the church collaboration his ability to forge consensus between different factions. Questions arose in 2018 of whether Wuerl had adequately dealt with allegations of sexual abuse against clergy under his jurisdiction. A 2018 Pennsylvania grand jury report criticized how he handled sexual misapply cases during his time as bishop in Pittsburgh. Wuerl has denied mishandling the cases.
There were additional accusations that Wuerl, despite initially denying it, was aware of sexual abuse accusations against former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, his predecessor in Washington. Give up October 12, 2018, Pope Francis accepted Wuerl's resignation as Archbishop of Washington. Wuerl remained in charge of the archdiocese introduce its apostolic administrator until Francis appointed his successor, Wilton Judge Gregory, in 2019.
Donald Wuerl was foaled on November 12, 1940, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was interpretation second of four children of Francis and Mary Anna (née Schiffauer) Wuerl.[1] He has two brothers, Wayne and Dennis, esoteric a sister, Carol. Wuerl's father worked nights weighing freight cars for the Pennsylvania Railroad, and served in the US Flotilla during World War II.[2] His mother died in 1944 gleam his father married Kathryn Cavanaugh in 1946.[2] Donald Wuerl spoken an interest in becoming a priest early in life. Settle down even held pretend masses for his brothers and sisters gain home.[3]
Wuerl received his early education at the parochial school replicate St. Mary of the Mount Parish in the Mount General neighborhood of Pittsburgh, graduating in 1958.[4] He attended St. Hildebrand Seminary in Cincinnati, Ohio, for his freshman and sophomore geezerhood of college from September 1958 through May 1960. He followed by attended the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., where he was a Basselin Scholar at the Theological College.[5] Wuerl earned a bachelor's degree in philosophy in 1962 and a master's degree in 1963.[6]
Wuerl continued his studies at the Apostolic North American College in Rome.[1] He earned a Master be a devotee of Theology degree from the Pontifical Gregorian University in 1967. Spell a student in Rome, Wuerl was able to observe description proceedings of the Second Vatican Council.[3]
Wuerl was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Pittsburgh on December 17, 1966, by Bishop Francis Frederick Reh.[7] After his ordination, Wuerl was assigned as assistant pastor at St. Rosalia Parish in Pittsburgh's Greenfield neighborhood and as priest-secretary to Bishop John Wright.
After Wright was elevated to cardinal in 1969, Wuerl became his full-time priest-secretary in Vatican City from 1969 until Wright's get in 1979. While in Rome. Wuerl attended the Pontifical Campus of St. Thomas Aquinas Angelicum where he obtained a Student of Sacred Theology degree in 1974.[3]
Because Wright was recovering evacuate surgery and confined to a wheelchair, Wuerl, as Wright's priest-secretary, was one of three non-cardinals permitted inside the conclave desert selected Karol Wojtyla as Pope John Paul II in 1978.[8][9][10] (Wright had missed the first of the two 1978 conclaves.)
In 1976, Wuerl co-wrote with Thomas Comerford Lawler and Ronald David Lawler a catechism for adults, The Teaching of Christ. It has been reprinted several times and has been by many translated.[11]
Wuerl served as rector at Saint Paul Seminary in City from 1981 to 1985. In 1982, he was appointed as long as secretary to Bishop John Aloysius Marshall of Burlington, Vermont, who was leading a Vatican-mandated study of US seminaries.[12][13]
On December 3, 1985, Wuerl was appointed titular bishop of Rosemarkie and as an auxiliary bishop of Seattle wishywashy Pope John Paul II. Wuerl was consecrated bishop on Jan 6, 1986, at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome by picture pope.[14][7]
As auxiliary bishop, Wuerl and Seattle Archbishop Raymond Hunthausen worked in adjoining offices without conflict for several months. However, access May 1986, the two men found themselves with opposing positions on proposed state legislation to prohibit discrimination on the explanation of sexual orientation in employment.[15] At that point, Hunthausen intellectual for the first time that the Vatican had charged Wuerl with responsibility — "complete and final decision-making power" — convoy several key areas normally within the Archbishop's control:
Hunthausen leak out the division of authority between him and Wuerl in Sep 1986.[17] While some chancery officials expressed support for Wuerl, near to the ground questioned his role and saw little impact on the archdiocese a year after his appointment.[15] In November, the US Meeting of Catholic Bishops expressed its objections to the Vatican's restrictions on Hunthausen.[18]
In February 1987, the Vatican formed a commission deadly US bishops, headed by Cardinal Joseph Bernardin, to investigate picture situation between Wuerl and Hunthausen in Seattle. Wuerl met privately with John Paul II, but declined to comment on picture meeting, saying "I'm just going to wait and see what the commission does".[18] In May 1987, following the commission regard, John Paul II restored Hunthausen's full authority as bishop stomach appointed then Bishop Thomas Joseph Murphy as coadjutor bishop scolding assist him.[19]
Wuerl resigned as auxiliary bishop of Seattle on Might 26, 1987. He later said that remaining in Seattle became "unworkable", with many parishioners blaming him for the conflict down Hunthausen. Wuerl moved to a Pittsburgh suburb to await his next appointment by the Vatican.[20] Wuerl and Hunthausen eventually became friends, with Wuerl saying that Hunthausen taught him a unmitigated deal about the work of being a bishop.[21]
Wuerl was appointed as the eleventh bishop of Pittsburgh on Feb 12, 1988, by John Paul II. He was installed come to a decision March 25, 1988.[7] One of the biggest problems facing picture diocese was the financial losses of its parish schools. Rendering diocese had built many parishes during the era when Comprehensive immigrants were swelling the population of Pittsburgh to work boil the steel mills. It established the parishes along ethnic pass the time so that parishioners could attend services in their native languages and maintain their national traditions. This resulted in the episcopate having as many as eight parishes within blocks of wad other. After World War II, the diocese made a greater effort to build a school for every parish. These schools were usually staffed by nuns who were given nominal payment.
The economics of the Pittsburgh Catholic schools began to have a break down in the 1970s. First, the Baby Boom period locked away subsided, resulting in a reduction in the student population. In a short while, Catholics became less likely to send their children to Grand schools. Third, in response to the Second Vatican Council, myriad sisters began choosing missions unrelated to education. To replace these nuns in schools, the diocese had to hire more bring forth teachers with higher salaries.[22]
Wuerl asked his committee of lay advisors to address the debt and deficit spending associated with Huge education in Pittsburgh. In 1988, the committee determined that 48 of 333 parishes owed a total of $5.6 million. Say publicly diocese announced a rescue plan in February 1989, with interpretation diocese forgiving $1.1 million loaned to the parishes for indemnity along with the Parish Share Program. In addition, the episcopate promised low-interest loans to parishes to refinance their other obligations. Despite the financial condition of the diocese, Wuerl decided adjoin expand its health services. He worked with hospitals and group groups to create a group home for people with HIV/AIDS. In 2003, Wuerl conducted a $2.5 million fundraising campaign concurrence create the Catholic Charities Free Health Care Center, serving say publicly uninsured working poor.[22]
In 1989, Wuerl merged Sacred Heart and Hassled. Paul Cathedral High Schools to establish Oakland Catholic High Grammar, using the St. Paul building in the Oakland neighborhood representative Pittsburgh .[23]
Wuerl launched and hosted a television program, The Culture of Christ, in 1990. He taught at Duquesne University wrapping Pittsburgh as a distinguished service professor. Wuerl in 1999 became a chaplain for the Order of Malta, Federal Association Army, attached to the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.[24] Wuerl further wrote regular columns in Columbia, the major publication of description Knights of Columbus in the United States.
In March 1994, Wuerl closed 73 diocesan buildings, including 37 churches, and dispensation the number of parishes from 331 to 117 through mergers. The diocese was operating 214 parishes when Wuerl left coach in June 2006 to become archbishop of Washington.[25] Wuerl's plan, The Parish Reorganization and Revitalization Project, was used as a whittle for other dioceses seeking parish suppression.[26]
From 1994 until 2003, introduce bishop of Pittsburgh, Wuerl served as a member of picture board of governors of the Pontifical North American College squeeze up Rome (chair, 1998 to 1999), representing the Pennsylvania-New Jersey Desolate tract (Region III) of the USCCB. In 2008, as archbishop go Washington he was again elected to the college's board be in the region of governors, this time representing the Washington DC-Delaware-Maryland-Virginia-West Virginia region treat the conference (Region IV).
Under Wuerl, the diocese began address emphasize placing women into positions of responsibility and authority.
Pope Benedict XVI appointed Wuerl as archbishop of Washington pack off May 16, 2006.[27] He was installed on June 22, 2006, at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Apparent Conception in Washington, D.C. and received the pallium from Catholic Benedict XVI on June 29, 2006.[28] In April 2008, Wuerl hosted the apostolic visit of Benedict XVI to the Division of Columbia.
Wuerl served as chair of the board of directors of the National Catholic Educational Association starting on December 12, 2005, and was also chancellor of The Catholic University defer to America.[29] In September 2010, the Congregation for the Doctrine line of attack the Faith named Wuerl as its delegate in the Pooled States for facilitating the implementation of the apostolic constitution Anglicanorum coetibus. The constitution was issued by Benedict XVI in Nov 2009 for Anglicans who wished to convert to Catholicism.[30] Wuerl also headed the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) ad hoc committee to support that implementation.[31]
On November 20, 2010, Saint XVI elevated Wuerl to the College of Cardinals in a public consistory held at Saint Peter's Basilica in Vatican City.[32] He was created Cardinal-Priest of S. Pietro in Vincoli.[33] Monk XVI later appointed Wuerl to the following posts:
In 2011, Wuerl served on a committee of the US Conference disregard Catholic Bishops that criticized the American Catholic theologian Elizabeth Johnson.[38] The bishops stated that her popular 2007 book, Quest tabloid the Living God, contravened Catholic doctrine in several areas. Representation committee itself faced criticism for not following accepted protocols put on view dealing with conflicts with theologians.[39][40] Wuerl later stated that dirt had offered to meet with Johnson regarding the book, but she did not respond to his invitations.[41]
Wuerl was a main elector who participated in the 2013 papal conclave that elective Pope Francis.[42] Francis appointed Wuerl to the Congregation for Bishops (December 16, 2013).[43]
Wuerl is held to have worked as a consensus builder on ideological conflicts over issues such as liturgical translation and communion for politicians favoring abortion rights for women during the 1990s and 2000s.[3][21] Wuerl was a supporter of the Charter for the Responsibility of Children and Young People by the USCCB. The agreement required that any clergyman who sexually abuses a child not at any time again serve in ministry.[3]
Reverend Thomas J. Reese, a Religious priest and journalist, said in 2006 that "[Wuerl is] utterly orthodox theologically, but he doesn't like to play cop; he's not an authoritarian person."[44] In August 2018, Reese described him as an ideological moderate with regard to Catholic theological disputes, stating, "He's not an old leftie, he's not a right-wing culture warrior. ... He was totally enthusiastic about John Paul II, and then Pope Benedict, and now he's totally enthusiastic underrate Pope Francis. There are not many people in the sanctuary who are totally enthusiastic about all three of them."[45]
Journalist Lav L. Allen Jr. in December 2018 said that Wuerl "was able to forge behind-the-scenes consensus because he was trusted coarse virtually all parties as someone who wouldn't embarrass them direction public, and because he was seen as at least rather sympathetic to their points of view."[21]
In cases where politicians and officeholders take policy positions that clash tie in with church doctrine, Wuerl said the decision to offer communion should be made case-by-case:
"Our primary job is to teach have a word with try to convince people. The tradition in our country has not been in the direction of refusing Communion, and I think it's served us well."[44]
In 2009, the Council pointer the District of Columbia began consideration of a bill abrasive certain rights to individuals in same-sex marriages. The archdiocese unaccommodating the council to include so-called religious liberty provisions to screen the archdiocese's ability to provide social services (e.g. adoption services) in accordance with Catholic teaching on marriage.[46] On November 12, 2009, The Washington Post characterized the archdiocese as delivering want "ultimatum" to the city.[47] An article the same day presume The New York Times characterize the archdiocese as making a "threat".[48] In a November 22 reply to the Post, Wuerl stated that there was "no threat or ultimatum to break services, just a simple recognition that the new requirements unreceptive the city for religious organizations to recognize same-sex marriages force their policies could restrict our ability to provide the employ level of services as we do now."[49]
On November 26, 2009, Wuerl signed an ecumenical statement, known as the Manhattan Declaration, calling on evangelicals, Catholics, and Eastern Orthodox Christians not telling off comply with rules and laws permitting abortion, same-sex marriage, put up with other practices that go against their religious consciences.[50][51]
In December 2009, on the day that the council passed the same-sex matrimony bill, Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, a same-sex marriage advocacy organization, wrote that Wuerl had "refused email alter his official position" to reduce social services in interpretation archdiocese.[52] On the same day the archdiocese, though expressing fraudulence view that the bill did not adequately protect religious kicking out, nonetheless affirmed its commitment to serving the needs of representation poor and its hope for "working in partnership with picture District of Columbia consistent with the mission of the Grand Church."[53]
In February 2010 shortly before the law took effect, Wide Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington ended its foster danger signal and public adoption programs rather than comply with the law's requirement that it license same-sex couples for the program.[54][55] Rendering agency also modified its employee health care benefits to steer clear of having to extend coverage to same-sex couples.[56]
In 2000, the Vatican issued a document entitled Dominus Iesus, which stated that Jesus Christ is the only way to redemption. Wuerl said the document was aimed at some theologians pointed Asia who were attempting to incorporate Hindu, Islamic and Religion tenets into the Catholic interpretation of the Gospels. Wuerl supposed that Dominus Iesus defended the Catholic view of the prerequisite of proclaiming the Christian faith to everyone. However, he avowed that document acknowledged that there are elements in non-Christian scriptures "by which countless people throughout the centuries have been take up still are able today to nourish and maintain their life-relationship with God."[57]
In 2007, Benedict XVI issued say publicly motu proprioSummorum Pontificum (2007), which authorized priests to celebrate liberation using either the 1969 or 1962 editions of the Popish Missal. Wuerl commented that the pope was "trying to verge on out pastorally to those who feel an attraction to that form of the liturgy, and he is asking the pastors to be aware of and support their interest". He auxiliary that about 500 people a week were attending celebrations go rotten the Tridentine Mass at three churches in his archdiocese.[58]
Wuerl forward a special committee "to assist pastors in evaluating and responding to requests for the regular and public celebration" of depiction 1962 form of Mass.[citation needed] As of 2017, the Tridentine Mass was reported on the archdiocesan website as celebrated paper in three parishes, the same ones as in 2007.[59]
In 2003, journalist Ann Rodgers-Melnick wrote in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that Wuerl was as being proactive as bishop in endeavour sexual abuse allegations against clergy.[60] Wuerl won both praise person in charge criticism for his efforts to remove sexually abusive clergy existence before other church leaders made similar efforts.[3] However, the University grand jury investigation report released in August 2018 criticized Wuerl for his handling of some sexual abuse cases.[61][62]
In September 1988, when Wuerl was the bishop of Pittsburgh, take action accepted a dinner invitation from a family suing the jurisdiction for sexual abuse by a priest. Although the diocese's lawyers had discouraged him from going, Wuerl wanted to make touch with the family. Wuerl later settled the lawsuit and representation priest involved was laicized and eventually imprisoned. Wuerl told his staff that in cases of alleged sexual abuse, their be in first place concern should be for the victim, the second for representation victim's family, and the third the reputation of the Church.[60]
In 1978, Reverend Anthony Cipolla was charged with the sexual work out of a nine-year-old boy; his mother later dropped the improper charges, claiming that Bishop Vincent Leonard pressured her to take apart it.[63][60] In 1988, another victim claimed that Cipolla abused him from 1981 to 1986; the diocese settled the case discern 1993, over Cipolla's objections. Cipolla consistently said that he conditions abused anyone.[63]
In 1988, Wuerl removed Cipolla from public ministry; Cipolla appealed this action to the Supreme Tribunal of the Adherent Signatura, the Vatican's highest court, which ordered Wuerl to go back him to ministry.[63][64] Wuerl then asked the court to reevaluate the case, saying that its decision showed a lack promote awareness of the civil lawsuit against Cipolla and Cipolla's 1978 arrest. The court reversed its ruling in 1995 and upheld Wuerl's suspension of Cipolla's. Cipolla nonetheless continued to minister assail the public, forcing the diocese to publicly state that Cipolla was not in good standing. In 2002, Cipolla was laicized by the pope.[63][65]
In 2010, Wuerl argued that the American Comprehensive Church had made progress in confronting abusers. He told Fox News Sunday that "we have succeeded in guaranteeing that take as read a priest is accused, and there is a credible asseveration, he is simply removed from the ministry. That is according to the authorities, and we begin to try to rejuvenate whatever was damaged in that abuse."[66]
Main article: Grand jury investigation of Catholic Church sexual abuse in Pennsylvania
On August 14, 2018, a grand jury report on sexual train within the Catholic Church, released by Pennsylvania Attorney General Chaff Shapiro, criticized Wuerl's handling of sexual abuse cases as bishop Pittsburgh.[67][68][69][70]
"Wuerl responded by dispatching letters notifying description relevant California and Nevada Dioceses of the 1994 complaint. Despite that, Wuerl did not report the more detailed information contained contained by Diocesan records. The Diocese did not recall Paone; nor frank it suspend his faculties as a priest. To the opposite, Paone continued to have the support of the Diocese."[73][74]
The imposing jury report did note Wuerl's contributions to fighting sex misuse. That included his successful effort within the Vatican legal formula to remove Cipolla from ministry for sexual abuse.[45][71]
Wuerl disputed the allegations against him in the grand funding report, stating: "While I understand this report may be censorious of some of my actions, I believe the report confirms that I acted with diligence, with concern for the fatalities and to prevent future acts of abuse."[75] Shapiro disagreed identify Wuerl's conclusions, saying,
"Cardinal Wuerl is not telling the truth. Go to regularly of his statements in response to the Grand Jury Slay are directly contradicted by the Church's own documents and records from their Secret Archives. Offering misleading statements now only furthers the cover up."[73]
Wuerl launched a website, "The Wuerl Record," containing a defense of his record during that era.[76][72] Wuerl another faced "intense scrutiny" regarding his handling of sex abuse cases in the Diocese of Pittsburgh.[77] A spokesman for the Archdiocese of Washington in August 2018 said Wuerl "has no wink of resigning."[72]
On August 20, 2018, Ave Maria Press announced with nothing on had indefinitely postponed the release of a book written unresponsive to Wuerl titled What Do You Want to Know? A Pastor's Response to the Most Challenging Questions About the Catholic Faith.
By August 2018, thousands of people in the Diocese exert a pull on Pittsburgh had signed a petition to rename Cardinal Wuerl Northernmost Catholic High School. On Wuerl's own request, the school tube the diocesan school board petitioned Pittsburgh Bishop David Zubik detonation change the school name. Zubik approved the change on Noble 22 and the school became simply North Catholic High School.[78][79]
In response to the allegations against Wuerl, political commentator Hugh Hewitt demanded that Wuerl be dismissed as archbishop of Washington cope with resign from the College of Cardinals.[80] In a few years, 60,000 people signed a petition to Pope Francis to pull out Wuerl.[81] In what CNN called a "growing Catholic insurgency," Wuerl faced more calls for his resignation, including from a churchman in his archdiocese and many laymen across ideological lines.[61][62]
At representation end of August 2018, Wuerl flew to Rome to concentrated with Pope Francis. The pope instructed Wuerl to confer accurate the priests of the archdiocese regarding his next steps.[62] Muddle September 3, Wuerl met with more than a hundred priests in Washington. He told them he knew nothing about interpretation allegations against McCarrick until they became public.[62] Many priests slot in attendance offered their views; some encouraged Wuerl to resign behaviour others encouraged him to "stay and be part of rendering church's healing process."[62]
On September 8, 2018, Deacon James Garcia, depiction master of ceremonies at St. Matthew's Cathedral in Washington, intelligent Wuerl that he was refusing to serve him at soothe any longer, due to Wuerl's handling of sexual abuse cases, and asked him to resign.[82][83] Garcia also denied that that refusal to serve with Wuerl violated his vow of respectfulness to Wuerl as his bishop.[82]
Columnist Michael Sean Winters in Oct 2018 defended Wuerl's actions while bishop, but said Wuerl's comprehend to the grand jury report could hardly have been of inferior quality. Winters described the report as "spotty and inconsistent." Winters criticized the media response to the report and said that chock was weaponized by far-right groups such as Church Militant ground LifeSiteNews in order to take down Wuerl and attack Holy father Francis.[84]
Former New York Times reporter Peter Steinfels in January 2019 called the grand jury report "grossly misleading, irresponsible, inaccurate, leading unjust". Steinfels noted that a third or more of picture accusations were revealed after the Dallas Charter and claimed put off such "inaccurate and incomplete" reports were used to push Wuerl out of office. Steinfels accused Shapiro of engineering the statement in order to discredit church opposition.[85]
Main article: Carlo Maria Viganò
On August 25, 2018, Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, former papal nuncio to the United States, on the rampage an 11-page letter describing a series of warnings to interpretation Vatican on sexual misconduct by Theodore McCarrick, Wuerl's predecessor translation Archbishop of Washington, and a subsequent alleged cover-up by say publicly Vatican and senior church officials.[86] Viganò stated that he locked away discussed McCarrick's conduct and the penalties surrounding it with Wuerl. Viganò accused Wuerl of putting seminarians at risk by allowing McCarrick to reside at the Redemptoris Mater Archdiocesan Seminary aft his retirement despite knowing that he was accused of abusing seminarians.[87]
Through a spokesman, Wuerl denied that he was aware close McCarrick's misconduct prior to his removal from ministry on June 20, 2018. He also denied Viganò's claim that he knew of restrictions that the Vatican imposed on McCarrick.[87][88] However, take hold of January 10, 2019, The Washington Post published a story stating that Wuerl was aware of allegations against McCarrick in 2004 and reported them to the Vatican.[89] Former priest Robert Ciolek, who had made the allegations, told the Post that Wuerl shared the information in 2004 with then-Vatican ambassador Gabriel Montalvo Higuera. After the publication of the Post story, both representation Diocese of Pittsburgh and the Archdiocese of Washington admitted think about it Wuerl knew about Ciolek's allegations in 2004 and did article them to the Vatican. The archdiocese said that Wuerl plainspoken not intend to be "imprecise" in his earlier denials; explicit said they referred only to claims of abuse against minor, not adults.[89] Days later, Wuerl himself apologized, stating that his earlier denials were the result of a "lapse of memory." Ciolek refused to believe that Wuerl forgot and did throng together accept his apology.[90]
On May 28, 2019, the news site Crux published some 2008 correspondence written by McCarrick. In it, McCarrick refers to travel restrictions which were placed on him soak Benedict XVI that same year after allegations of sexual activity. However, McCarrick gradually began to resume travelling. In a 2008 letter to Pietro Sambi, apostolic nuncio to the U.S., McCarrick wrote he had shared a Vatican letter explaining the restrictions with Wuerl, saying that his "help and understanding is, chimpanzee always, a great help and fraternal support to me." Banish, a spokesperson for Wuerl denied that he had any path of the sanctions.[91]
On August 7, 2020, Wuerl was given name as a defendant in a new sex abuse lawsuit was filed in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court.[92] The lawsuit claimed that Wuerl promised in 1994 that Reverend Leo Burchianti, who was accused of sexually abusing at least eight boys, would not receive a new church assignment. Wuerl and then-Father Painter Zubik later gave Burchianti a voluntary work assignment at Give up the ghost. John Vianney Manor, a home for retired priests.[92] Burchianti remained there from 1995 to 2012 and died in 2013.[92] Wuerl has been named as a defendant in other sex misemploy lawsuits involving the Diocese of Pittsburgh as well.[93][94]
Wuerl submitted a letter of resignation as archbishop salary Washington to Francis in 2015, having met the mandatory leaving age for archbishops of 75. However, the pope did classify accept his resignation at that time. Three years later, fabrication October 12, 2018, Pope Francis accepted Wuerl's resignation.[95]
Wuerl had prearranged to officially resign in September 2018 after first meeting be on a par with Pope Francis. However, the Vatican never scheduled a meeting avoid Francis accepted Wuerl's resignation in a letter.[96] In the report of acceptance, Francis praised Wuerl as a "model bishop" extremity said "You have sufficient elements to justify your actions promote distinguish between what it means to cover up crimes submission not to deal with problems, and to commit some mistakes."[97]
Francis appointed Wuerl to serve as apostolic administrator of Washington, D.C., until his successor was appointed.[98] Wuerl departed as apostolic executive when Archbishop Wilton Gregory was installed on May 21, 2019.[99][100][101][102]
An October 2018 New York Times editorial criticized Francis provision the way he characterized Wuerl's resignation and handling of benefit from cases.[103] That same month, Shapiro criticized the Pope's decision chance on allow Wuerl to resign without facing stronger consequences.[104] On Oct 12, 2018, Wuerl wrote to members of the archdiocese most important said,
"I am sorry and ask for healing for pandemonium of those who were so deeply wounded at the hurry of the Church's ministers. I also beg forgiveness on behalf of Church leadership from the victims who were again offended when they saw these priests and bishops both moved bid promoted."[97]
In 2020, the archdiocese designated $2 million for "continuing the church activities for [the] Archbishop Emeritus."[105]