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A8 WORLD NEWS
Saturday 23 February 2019

Vatican sex abuse summit seeks new culture of accountability

By NICOLE WINFIELD the scandal first erupted in
Associated Press Ireland and Australia, and
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Car- 20 years after it hit the U.S.,
dinals attending Pope Fran- bishops and Catholic of-
cis’ summit on preventing ficials in many parts of Eu-
clergy sex abuse called rope, Latin America, Africa
Friday for a new culture of and Asia still either deny
accountability in the Cath- that clergy sex abuse ex-
olic Church to punish bish- ists in their regions or play
ops and religious superiors down the problem.
when they fail to protect Francis, the first Latin Ameri-
their flocks from predator can pope, called the
priests. summit after he himself
On the second day of Fran- botched a well-known sex
cis’ extraordinary gathering abuse cover-up case in
of Catholic leaders, the de- Chile last year.
bate shifted to how church Gracias, the Indian cardi-
leaders must acknowledge nal, opened the session by
that decades of their own saying bishops must work
cover-ups, secrecy and together to address the
fear of scandal had only problem because it was er-
worsened the sex abuse roneous to say “it’s a just a
crisis. “We must repent, and problem for the USA or Eu-
do so together, collegially, Bishops attend the second day of a Vatican’s conference on dealing with sex abuse by priests, at rope or Australia.”
because along the way we the Vatican, Friday, Feb. 22, 2019. But Gracias’ prime-time
have failed,” said Mumbai Associated Press speaking slot drew some
Cardinal Oswald Gracias. cover-up and toleration of Cupich called for transpar- tem, ran into legal snags at criticism, since the Indian
“We need to seek pardon.” clergy sexual abuse is with ent new structures to report the Vatican, which blocked church isn’t known for be-
Chicago Cardinal Blase the very meaning and es- allegations against superi- U.S. bishops from voting on ing proactive in combating
Cupich told the 190 bishops sence of the church,” Cu- ors, investigate them and them in November. clergy sex abuse. Gracias
and religious superiors that pich said. “Mothers and establish clear procedures At the time of the blocked himself has been publicly
new legal procedures were fathers have called us to to remove them from office vote, Cupich proposed criticized for his record.
needed to both report and account, for they simply if they are guilty of grave his “metropolitan model,” “Why was Gracias allowed
investigate Catholic superi- cannot comprehend how negligence in handling which he articulated further to speak at the papal sum-
ors when they are accused we as bishops and religious abuse cases. Friday from the privileged mit? He is a poster boy for
of misconduct themselves superiors have often been He proposed that metro- position as an organizer of the lack of accountability
or of negligence in han- blinded to the scope and politan bishops — who are Francis’ summit. of church leaders, especial-
dling other abuse cases. damage of sexual abuse of responsible for other bish- Cupich told reporters that ly in developing countries,”
He said lay experts must minors,” he said. ops in their area — should his proposal differed from said Anne Barrett Doyle of
be involved at every step Francis summoned the bish- conduct the investigations the U.S. conference in that the online group BishopAc-
of the process, since rank- ops for the four-day tutorial into suspected abuse with it was “anchored” in exist- countability, which tracks
and-file Catholics often on preventing sex abuse the help of lay experts, then ing U.S. church structures for the abuse scandal.
know far better than priests and protecting children forward the results to the accountability and would But it appeared the Vati-
what trauma the clergy sex after the scandal erupted Vatican. therefore be obligatory for can may have chosen as
abuse and its cover-up has again last year in Chile and Cupich acknowledged his all bishops. The U.S. confer- speakers precisely those
caused. the U.S. While the Vatican proposal differed from that ence proposal would have cardinals whose own na-
“It is the witness of the laity, for two decades has tried prepared by the U.S. Con- been voluntary. tional churches have not
especially mothers and fa- to crack down on the abus- ference of Catholic Bishops In addition, he said involv- confronted the scandal
thers with great love for the ers themselves, it has largely at large last year. Those ing the regional metropoli- openly. On the summit’s
church, who have pointed given a pass to the bishops procedures, which called tan in the procedure would opening day, for exam-
out movingly and force- and superiors who moved for a code of conduct for allow for pastoral follow-up ple, the keynote speaker
fully how gravely incom- the predators around from bishops and a third-party to care for the victims. was Filipino Cardinal Luis
patible the commission, parish to parish. confidential reporting sys- More than 30 years after Tagle.q

Protests in Algeria against president’s bid for 5th term

By AOMAR OUALI Square in the city center. dential election despite place Friday in Oran, the some streets in Akbou, in
Associated Press The crowd of mostly young serious questions over his fit- country’s second-most the Kabylie region, which is
ALGIERS, Algeria (AP) — people shouted slogans ness for office after a 2013 important city, and the historically hostile to Algiers’
Thousands of Algerians like “No fifth term!” and “No stroke left him largely infirm. northern towns of Annaba central power.
have taken to the streets in to corruption!” He has been seen in public and Akbou. In Annaba, Another demonstration is
several towns to denounce Demonstrations are rare in only a few times a year dur- 500 kilometers (310 miles) planned for Sunday in Al-
ailing President Abdelaziz Algiers, where police usu- ing his entire fourth term. east of Algiers, hundreds giers by Mouwatana, a
Bouteflika’s bid for a fifth ally prevent protesters from Yet many Algerians likely of people marched on the group gathering opposition
term. gathering. would vote for Bouteflika main street with posters of parties and activists. Orga-
Security was tight Friday The 81-year-old Bouteflika again, fearing that his de- Bouteflika that had a cross nizers want Bouteflika to
in the capital, Algiers, announced this month that parture could lead to gov- over them. “renounce” his decision to
where thousands of pro- he plans to seek a new ernment instability. Protesters used tires and seek a new term, notably
testers headed to Martyrs term in the April 18 presi- Other demonstrations took other materials to block because of his health.q