Donald Cardinal Wuerl submitted his letter of resignation as archbishop of Washington.
Of course, this was done on 12 November 2015, when Wuerl turned 75 years old, as required by the new code of canon law. Wuerl has been archbishop since 2006, when he replaced his friend and ally, Theodore McCarrick, in the position.
At the time of his hand-delivered letter of resignation, nearly three years ago, Wuerl told Religion News Service: "Now if the Holy Father were to accept it tomorrow, I would be well-prepared to take time to write, to read, to pray a lot more."
The relevant code of canon law (401) for resignations at the age of 75 says: "A diocesan bishop who has completed the seventy-fifth year of age is requested to present his resignation from office to the Supreme Pontiff, who will make provision after he has examined all the circumstances."
Cardinal Wuerl will be 78 in less than three months. He has suspended and intimidated conservative priests, and has even blocked conservative bishops from offering sacraments in his archdiocese, while doing almost nothing to combat the numerous shenanigans administered by Jesuits at Georgetown University. The local media (eternally grateful for his refusal to enforce Church teachings) gives him a free pass on things such as his knowledge of McCarrick's past, or at best easily accepts a no-comment from his office. No one in a position of power dares stand up to Don Wuerl, as critics know he will make them an offer they can't refuse.
The decision to accept Wuerl's resignation has been, and remains, with Pope Francis "after he has examined all the circumstances."
As Pope Francis continues to remain silent on the latest round of news, even under mainstream pressure, the ball is in his court. He can choose to remain silent, or he can begin to take action. One small action at Francis' disposal is accepting the resignation of Cardinal Wuerl as archbishop of Washington. If nothing else, the Catholic Church in America would be better off with Donald Wuerl having the time "to pray a lot more."
