Abuse survivor calls for Cardinal Wuerl's resignation: 'He's criminally responsible'

WASHINGTON - Two days after Cardinal Donald Wuerl sat down exclusively with FOX 5, others are coming forward to refute the Archbishop of Washington's claims that he did everything he could to protect victims within the Catholic Church.

A growing number of people are also calling for Wuerl's resignation, including David Lorenz, the Maryland director for the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, known as SNAP.

Lorenz tells FOX 5 he had direct and one-on-one interactions with Cardinal Wuerl, who was not receptive to Lorenz's requests on handling victims in the church.

"I wanted him to develop a support group that survivors could come to," recounted Lorenz about a one-on-one meeting with Wuerl. "I wanted him to publish the names of all credibly accused on the website. I wanted that done. As I went through these specifics, and I got through about four of them, it was clear that he was not happy with me. And basically told me, 'You need to become sacramentally healed and then you can come back.' What does sacramentally healed mean? Nobody knows what that means. Basically he was telling me to get lost."

Lorenz refutes Cardinal Wuerl's claim to FOX 5 that he did all he could for victims.

"Why didn't you call the police?" asked Lorenz. "You can't tell me you're doing the right thing, but trying to keep it secret. It's not the right thing. You know it's not the right thing. Otherwise, why are you trying to keep it secret? Why are you not letting parishioners know that you put someone back in your parish?"

Lorenz is among a growing number of people calling for Wuerl's resignation. Also, a petition to rename a school that bares Wuerl's name has more than 5,000 signatures.

"He's criminally responsible for what happened to those kids as much as the perpetrator," added Lorenz.

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