The burning question is why Wuerl was in a position to make a fool of himself in so public a manner. He had tendered his resignation to Pope Francis last October. According to Condon (CNA, Jan. 19), “Francis seemed to accept Wuerl’s resignation as archbishop with reluctance, and he heaped praise on the cardinal while he did so.” In fact, Francis was so reluctant to see Wuerl go that he asked him to remain in charge of the archdiocese as apostolic administrator, essentially acting as a placeholder until Francis named his successor. In his reply to Wuerl’s resignation, Francis called him a “model bishop.” He elaborated: “You have sufficient elements to ‘justify’ your actions and distinguish between what it means to cover up crimes or not to deal with problems, and to commit some mistakes. However, your nobility has led you not to choose this way of defense. Of this, I am proud and thank you.”
“That praise,” Condon says, “now looks, to many Catholics, to have been seriously misplaced.”
Ya think?
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