The Vatican stepped in to prevent a vote at a US bishops’ conference Monday which could have led to the formation of a commission to hold bishops accountable for child sex abuse crimes.
A second action item up for vote at the 2018 US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), held in Baltimore, may have spurred the creation of a code of ethical conduct for bishops.
“At the insistence of the Holy See, we will not be voting on the two action items in our docket regarding the abuse crisis,” USCCB President Cdl. Daniel DiNardo said in a surprise announcement.
“We have accepted with disappointment this particular event that took place this morning,” DiNardo said, calling the order “a bump in the road.”
“We have not lessened in any of our resolve for actions,” DiNardo added.
The Vatican’s decision was met with apprehension by reporters, who asked how followers could continue to trust the institution.