Archbishop Charles Chaput has urged the Pope to delay next month’s youth synod in Rome. Speaking at a conference last week, the Archbishop of Philadelphia said he had written to Francis arguing that “right now, the bishops would have absolutely no credibility in addressing this topic”.
The archbishop did not need to explain to his audience why the bishops currently lack credibility. This summer the Church has been engulfed by a worldwide abuse crisis that has devastated communities from Adelaide to Pennsylvania, and exposed profound divisions in Rome. In Chile and the United States, cardinals are under pressure to resign. Angry lay people are withholding money from the collection plate and urging others to do the same.
