Vatican City, Jan 1, 2019 / 13:12 pm
A letter from Cardinal Marc Ouellet indicates that the Vatican's Congregation for Bishops had blocked the U.S. bishops from voting on proposals to address the sex abuse crisis in November because the congregation believed more time was needed to discuss the measures.
The Associated Press reported Jan. 1 that it had obtained a letter from Cardinal Ouellet, prefect of the Vatican's Congregation for Bishops, addressed to U.S. bishops' conference president Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston.
The letter, dated Nov. 11, says that proposals which had been scheduled for a vote by the bishops' conference needed more time and discussion to "properly mature." Ouellet indicated that the Vatican congregation had numerous canonical objections to the proposals.
On Nov. 12, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston announced that the Vatican had directed the U.S. bishops' conference to delay a vote on two key proposals which had been expected to form the basis for the Church's response to the sexual abuse crisis.