Three Simple Things: Truth, Accountability, Transparency

Dear friends in Christ,

Everyone with a personal connection to the Catholic Church in the Archdiocese of Washington is invited to sign the letter below as part of our Three Simple Things campaign for a holier Church. We are asking our bishops for three simple things:

1. Truth about the McCarrick failure.
2. Accountability for those culpable for this failure.
3. Transparency in the future appointment of bishops.

All letters received in our parish office or the blue box on the Commons table by noon on Monday, November 5, will be sent as a group to our papal nuncio, Archbishop Christophe Pierre, so that he will receive them prior to the USCCB fall meeting that begins November 12th. We will also copy your letter and send the copies as a group to USCCB president, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, prior to the meeting. There is a blue box on the main table in the Commons of St. Elizabeth Church for you to submit your signed letter.

You are also free to mail your letter and copy yourself at any time. Should you do so, the address for Cardinal DiNardo at the USCCB headquarters is:

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
3211 Fourth Street NE
Washington DC 20017

Please also note the question and answer section on this page below the text of the letter. This section includes the process for submitting a letter.

Thanks for considering taking action in the hope of a holier Church.

Sincerely in Christ,
Msgr. Bill Parent

Full text of the letter follows:

Your Name
Your Address

The Most Reverend Christophe Pierre
Apostolic Nuncio to the United States
3339 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20008
 
                                     November 4, 2018
 
Your Excellency:
 
    We the People of God of the Archdiocese of Washington, inspired by the deep commitments of our Most Holy Father, Pope Francis, to listen to and empower the laity, humbly ask that as his delegate you listen to us.  We seek three simple things that only the Pope has the authority in our Church to provide.

   First, we seek the truth about the failure of the Holy See that enabled Archbishop Theodore McCarrick to become our Archbishop in 2001 and to remain here in apparent good standing until this year despite his alleged sexual misconduct with seminarians and priests. Only the authority of the Pope can empower a thorough investigation of this failure by providing access to all relevant Church files and personnel, including abrogation of the pontifical secret where appropriate. We fully support the archival investigation announced by Pope Francis on October 6th as well as the lay-assisted investigation outlined by Cardinal DiNardo on August 16th. Until we know the complete truth about this failure, we remain vulnerable to future failures.

 
   Second, we seek accountability for those culpable for the McCarrick failure. Again only the Pope’s authority can impose appropriate canonical penalties on the bishops, priests, and other Church personnel in both the United States and the Vatican who are deemed culpable. Until there is also accountability for this failure, we remain vulnerable.
 
   Third, we seek transparency in the appointment of a new Archbishop of Washington and future bishops everywhere. We seek only to strengthen and not to replace the existing process of appointment by the Holy Father, perhaps by adding an independent lay review of candidates’ personnel files before nominations are submitted to the Holy See. Until there is greater transparency in appointing bishops, we remain vulnerable.
 
    Finally, Your Excellency, the McCarrick failure has become part of a broader political debate perceived by many as an attempt to undermine Pope Francis. We completely dissociate ourselves from this broader debate. We seek only three simple things in good faith – truth, accountability, and transparency – for justice and healing in our relationship with the Holy See.
 

With profound respect and assurance of my prayers, I am

                          Sincerely in Christ,

 

Cc: Cardinal DiNardo, USCCB President

Q & A for Our Three Simple Things Letter

What’s the process for submitting a letter?

1. Obtain a copy to sign from the Commons or download a PDF here.

2. Type or write your name and address at the top of the letter.

3. Sign and return the letter to St. E’s by noon on Monday, November 5. We will then copy your letter and send all original letters as a group to Archbishop Pierre and the copies as a group to Cardinal DiNardo prior to the USCCB fall meeting that starts November 12.

4. You are, of course, also free to mail your letters yourself if you prefer. If you do so, the address for the copy for Cardinal DiNardo is: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops; 3211 Fourth Street NE; Washington DC 20017.

Who is the Papal Nuncio? 
Archbishop Christophe Pierre, Papal Nuncio to the United States, is the official representative of Pope Francis to the Catholic Church in the United States. In this capacity, Archbishop Pierre is not only the official spokesperson of the pope but he is also responsible for vetting and nominating bishops’ appointments in the United States – both those who will be ordained bishops and bishops who will be reassigned. In addition, the papal nuncio is responsible for reporting claims of misconduct against bishops to the Vatican. 

What is “the pontifical secret?”
This is the Vatican’s terminology for privileged information of a confidential nature that is accessible only to high level Church personnel. The term is equivalent to the U.S. government term “classified.”

What is the “archival investigation announced by Pope Francis on October 6th?” 
Pope Francis announced that he had authorized an investigation of the Vatican archives to discover how it was possible for Archbishop McCarrick to rise in the hierarchy and remain in apparent good standing despite his alleged misconduct (see Vatican statement here). Though this is a very positive response from Pope Francis, it also has inherent limitations. First, it is only an investigation of files and will not include any interviews of relevant Church personnel. Second, it is unclear whether there will be an independent lay role in conducting this investigation.

What is “the lay-assisted investigation outlined by Cardinal DiNardo on August 16th?”
Cardinal DiNardo, who is the President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, called for a thorough investigation of the questions surrounding Archbishop McCarrick (see USCCB statement here). In Cardinal DiNardo’s statement, he explicitly states that the investigators would be predominantly lay experts. He also states that the investigation should include an “Apostolic Visitation.” This term simply means that Pope Francis would empower the investigation by appointing an investigator with the authority of the pope. Without an Apostolic Visitation, such an investigation would have no access to the Vatican’s files and personnel.

Where did the idea for this letter originate?
On September 24th, the St. Elizabeth’s Parish Pastoral Council held a frank and lively discussion of the recent Church scandals. There was virtually unanimous agreement that as a parish we should express our concerns to our bishops by inviting people to join a letter writing campaign. The Council also agreed that the letter should call upon our bishops for three things: truth about Archbishop McCarrick; accountability for those responsible; and transparency in appointing future bishops. Msgr. Parent accepted the Council’s recommendation and drafted the text that was ultimately unanimously endorsed by the Council.

Why does the voice shift from “we” to “I” at the end of the letter? Several Parish Pastoral Council members raised this question. The “we” is implied by the fact that we are sending many individually signed letters as a group. “We” is also consistent with “the People of God,” which is one of the famous terms for the Church used at the Second Vatican Council and one of Pope Francis’s favorite terms for the Church. The last sentence that shifts to “I” is part of a convention that is standard in letters written in what might be called the Vatican style, and the convention is always first person singular. We ran this letter by several people familiar with the Vatican style letter, and none saw any problem with the shift to “I” in the last line.