Justice requires that those who misgovern the Church be punished

There’s a depressing sense of déjà vu in the Church as allegations continue to multiply that the former Archbishop of Washington DC Theodore McCarrick sexually took advantage of young seminarians.

Dr McCarrick – who resigned from the College of Cardinals at the weekend – is also accused of two counts of sexual abuse of children. He protests his innocence, but has not addressed the allegations made by former seminarians and priests.

What’s extra troubling about the allegations of misconduct made against the 88-year-old is the fact that many people also claim that those in authority in the Church heard concerns against McCarrick going back decades. There is also a suggestion that some alleged victims of Dr McCarrick travelled to the Vatican to raise concerns around his behaviour.

Allegations

Pope Francis has ordered McCarrick to refrain from public ministry and live a life of prayer and penance while the allegations are investigated. This canonical process should happen quickly. If the allegations are found to be credible, the Pope will have little option but to dismiss McCarrick from the clerical state, thereby kicking him out of the priesthood. Given that he is long-since retired and has now quit as a cardinal, there really is no other penalty at the Pope’s disposal.

The case of McCarrick also brings up a deeper question for the Church and Pope Francis: what to do when a bishop or even a cardinal is shown to have failed grievously? The Pope should act swiftly to assess the facts around the allegations against McCarrick. Who knew and when did they know? Did anyone who is now a senior official within the Church fail to respond adequately if and when allegations were brought to their attention?

There are very good theological reasons why – at least ecclesiastically – bishops can only be judged by the Pope. But, this does not prevent the establishment of appropriate structures to judge and punish those in leadership positions who fail to govern the Church with due care.

Resignation

Nor should the issue be confined to matters of sexual impropriety. Catholics have become weary of watching bishops around the world be exposed as deeply unfit for office only to see the ‘will he, won’t he’ spectacle around talk of resignation. Rome has too often seemed indecisive when it comes to dealing with bishops, allowing those who have failed to depart at a time of their own choosing rather than being removed from office.

Pope Francis and his top advisers have been working for over five years on a reorganisation of the Roman Curia – the Church’s central administration. Serious thought needs to be given to addressing the current deficiency in dealing with those who stand accused of mis-governance in the Church.