ROME - According to Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountabilty.org for second time in four days, a disgraced cardinal reportedly has participated in high-level pre-conclave events following the death of Pope Francis.

 According to the online news outlet Crux, Cardinal Luis Cipriani, the Peruvian church official who was punished by Pope Francis for allegedly abusing a minor, was seen leaving the hall where the world’s cardinals have begun to meet privately in pre-conclave congregations. He was wearing cardinal's garb, an apparent violation of the restrictions put on him by the Pope. At their meeting today, the cardinals agreed that fighting clergy sex abuse should be a priority for the next pope, according to Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni. 

 The Crux report of Cipriani’s inclusion with his fellow cardinals comes just a few days after Cardinal Roger Mahony was honored with privileged roles in the casket-closing and burial ceremonies for Pope Francis. Abuse files forced out of the Los Angeles archdiocese in 2013 show that Mahony knowingly protected priests who had sexually assaulted children.Even more than Mahony's roles, the inclusion of a credibly accused cardinal in this week's important pre-conclave meetings exposes the disconnect between the Church’s words and actions on abuse. Cipriani’s participation mocks the cardinals' statement about the supposed importance of the abuse issue. It reassures abusive bishops of their colleagues' continuing support even as it sends a distressing message to abuse victims. It revives the haunting idea that the church is safer for accused clergy than for children.

 Perhaps equally disturbing is what Cipriani’s reported involvement says about the dysfunction of the Vatican even when it does the right thing. The Vatican confirmed in January that Pope Francis had sanctioned the Peruvian cardinal in 2019 for alleged sex abuse of a minor and that the penalties remained in force. It was a rare and refreshing instance of public honesty by the Vatican in regards to the punishment of an accused bishop. Also heartening was the public statement by the Peruvian bishops’ conference in support of the victim and of the Pope’s sanctions against Cipriani.