Two frontrunners in the race to become the next Pope have been accused of mishandling allegations of child sexual abuse within the Catholic Church, raising concerns about their ability to protect vulnerable children, as reported by the Daily Mail.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State, and Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, the former Archbishop of Manila, are both highly regarded as potential successors to Pope Francis. However, a prominent American watchdog, BishopAccountability.org, claims that both men have been involved in the suppression of critical church documents related to abuse cases, potentially undermining their fitness to address one of the Church’s most pressing issues.
Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of Bishop Accountability, made the allegations in a press conference near the Vatican. She condemned Cardinal Parolin for allegedly obstructing justice, stating that under his tenure, the Vatican withheld key documents relating to child abuse cases. She accused him of being “a consummate secret-keeper” who had blocked numerous requests for information about priests accused of abuse, including a significant investigation in Australia that uncovered over 4,400 victims and more than 1,100 clergy members involved.
Doyle also criticised Parolin for refusing to cooperate with a British inquiry into abuse within the English Benedictine Congregation, stating that the Vatican’s office under his leadership consistently denied jurisdiction over such cases.
Meanwhile, Cardinal Tagle, who is seen as a possible first Asian pope, also faces scrutiny over his record on addressing sexual abuse. As former Archbishop of Manila, Tagle has been accused of failing to implement adequate guidelines for handling abuse cases, a concern highlighted by BishopAccountability.org. Despite his previous efforts to create pastoral guidelines on sexual abuse, these guidelines have not been made accessible online by the Philippines’ bishops’ conference or the Manila archdiocese. This, Doyle argues, raises serious questions about Tagle’s ability to lead the global Church in addressing sexual abuse if elected pope.
The allegations come just days before the conclave set to begin on May 7, where cardinals from around the world will convene to select a successor to Pope Francis. The Catholic Church has long struggled with the fallout from decades of sexual abuse scandals, and the issue is expected to play a key role in the selection of the next pontiff.
While both Parolin and Tagle have responded to the allegations, with Tagle’s supporters defending his record and Parolin maintaining that he has acted in accordance with Vatican protocols, the accusations have cast a shadow over their papal prospects. The outcome of the conclave remains uncertain, with both men facing significant scrutiny as the Church prepares to elect its next leader.
The Daily Mail has reported that the concerns raised by BishopAccountability have fuelled doubts about whether these two figures are equipped to handle the crisis of sexual abuse that continues to plague the Church. As the conclave approaches, cardinals will be under increasing pressure to ensure that the next Pope is capable of both leading the Church spiritually and addressing the long-standing abuse crisis.
