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| Pope Orders Investigation of West Virginia Bishop Over Sex Allegations | Pope Orders Investigation of West Virginia Bishop Over Sex Allegations |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| Pope Francis has ordered an investigation into allegations that West Virginia’s bishop, Michael J. Bransfield, sexually harassed adults, and has accepted the bishop’s immediate resignation. | Pope Francis has ordered an investigation into allegations that West Virginia’s bishop, Michael J. Bransfield, sexually harassed adults, and has accepted the bishop’s immediate resignation. |
| The pope has assigned the Archbishop of Baltimore, William E. Lori, to handle the investigation and to take temporary charge of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, which covers all of West Virginia. The diocese is a small one, with about 75,000 Catholics. | |
| In an announcement posted on the diocese’s website, Archbishop Lori said he would meet with clergy and lay leaders on Thursday and Friday, and that he had opened a hotline for tips. | In an announcement posted on the diocese’s website, Archbishop Lori said he would meet with clergy and lay leaders on Thursday and Friday, and that he had opened a hotline for tips. |
| The news came as Pope Francis held a closed-door meeting in Rome with leaders of the United States bishops’ conference to discuss a renewed crisis in the American church over sexual abuse. | |
| Nothing concrete emerged from the meeting. Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, the president of the bishops’ conference, said afterward only that “it was a lengthy, fruitful, and good exchange,” and that the bishops look forward to “identifying the most effective next steps.” | |
| Cardinal DiNardo went into the meeting dogged by news reports that he had kept a priest in ministry in his own archdiocese, that of Galveston-Houston, despite pleas from a woman who said the priest had abused her as a young girl. A man told the archdiocese last month that he had been abused by the same priest, and on Tuesday the priest was arrested on child abuse charges. | |
| The case was only the latest flash point in a growing scandal. The American bishops’ demand for a meeting with the pope was prompted by revelations that the Vatican had made Theodore McCarrick the archbishop of Washington and elevated him to cardinal despite repeated warnings over many years that he had sexually molested adult seminary students. | |
| Archbishop McCarrick resigned from the College of Cardinals in July after an additional allegation that he had molested an altar boy, a minor. He denies the allegation and is appealing his case to the Vatican. | Archbishop McCarrick resigned from the College of Cardinals in July after an additional allegation that he had molested an altar boy, a minor. He denies the allegation and is appealing his case to the Vatican. |
| Bishop Bransfield is an associate of Archbishop McCarrick, who was one of three prelates chosen to preside at Bishop Bransfield’s 2005 consecration in Wheeling. Bishop Bransfield and the former cardinal were key leaders of the Papal Foundation, which raises millions of dollars for Vatican projects. | Bishop Bransfield is an associate of Archbishop McCarrick, who was one of three prelates chosen to preside at Bishop Bransfield’s 2005 consecration in Wheeling. Bishop Bransfield and the former cardinal were key leaders of the Papal Foundation, which raises millions of dollars for Vatican projects. |
| The scandal in the church, long focused on abuse of minors, has recently entered a new phase, with two bishops now brought down who have been accused of sexual misconduct with adults. American Catholics across the theological spectrum have been calling for investigations into the interlocking relationships among bishops accused of sexually harassing their priests and seminarians, while covering up for priests who abused minors. | The scandal in the church, long focused on abuse of minors, has recently entered a new phase, with two bishops now brought down who have been accused of sexual misconduct with adults. American Catholics across the theological spectrum have been calling for investigations into the interlocking relationships among bishops accused of sexually harassing their priests and seminarians, while covering up for priests who abused minors. |
| Bishop Bransfield has faced serious allegations of misconduct before. During a high-profile 2012 trial of church leaders in Philadelphia, he was accused by two witnesses of associating with a priest who sexually abused minors, and of being aware of the abuse. One witness said that the priest had sexually abused him at a beach house owned by Bishop Bransfield on the Jersey Shore. The bishop denied the claims and was not charged with any crime. | Bishop Bransfield has faced serious allegations of misconduct before. During a high-profile 2012 trial of church leaders in Philadelphia, he was accused by two witnesses of associating with a priest who sexually abused minors, and of being aware of the abuse. One witness said that the priest had sexually abused him at a beach house owned by Bishop Bransfield on the Jersey Shore. The bishop denied the claims and was not charged with any crime. |
| Pope John Paul II appointed Bishop Bransfield to lead the West Virginia diocese in 2004. Before that, he was rector of the majestic Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington. | Pope John Paul II appointed Bishop Bransfield to lead the West Virginia diocese in 2004. Before that, he was rector of the majestic Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington. |
| Bishop Bransfield is five days past his 75th birthday, the age at which bishops routinely offer to retire, though many are permitted to stay on. | Bishop Bransfield is five days past his 75th birthday, the age at which bishops routinely offer to retire, though many are permitted to stay on. |
| Archbishop Lori said in his statement, “I pledge to conduct a thorough investigation in search of the truth into the troubling allegations against Bishop Bransfield and to work closely with the clergy, religious and lay leaders of the diocese until the appointment of a new bishop.” | Archbishop Lori said in his statement, “I pledge to conduct a thorough investigation in search of the truth into the troubling allegations against Bishop Bransfield and to work closely with the clergy, religious and lay leaders of the diocese until the appointment of a new bishop.” |
| Bishop Bransfield comes from a Philadelphia family that includes several other prominent church figures. One of the four American leaders who met with the pope on Thursday was his cousin Msgr. Brian Bransfield, the secretary general of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. | |
| The other two Americans who met with the pope were Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles, the vice president of the bishops’ conference, and Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley, the archbishop of Boston, who heads the pope’s commission on child protection. | |
| The conference asked the Vatican last month to investigate how Archbishop McCarrick was allowed to climb to the top of the American church hierarchy despite warnings of sexual misconduct with young men. | |
| But it was not clear by Thursday afternoon whether the Americans had pressed that request directly with Francis when they met face to face on Thursday. A Vatican spokesman declined to say. All the Vatican released to the news media after the meeting were photographs of the pope at a large wooden table facing his visitors, some of them smiling. |