Washington — He has not been charged and on Wednesday, showed parishioners, he is not stepping down.
Cardinal Donald Wuerl, the Catholic leader named in the 884-page clergy sex abuse report, responded to critics by starting a Wednesday Mass with a statement.
Among his words to those in attendance, Wuerl said, “No matter how long ago the abuse may have taken place or how recently, the pain and the suffering is something that we need to accept responsibility for in helping survivors."
The reactions outside of Northwest D.C.'s St. Matthew's ran on both sides of the aisle.
RELATED: DC Cardinal Wuerl aided in the cover-up of pedophile activity, a new Grand Jury Report says
“I was fuming,” said church-goer, Tim Carney. “The fact that he’s allowed to still say Mass, the fact that he’s allowed to still be our Bishop is an affront to every faithful Catholic.”
"I have trouble blaming him for having pursued that. I think he was much more active than others were,” said church-goer, Phillip Tabbite.
Catholics went to mass pn Wednesday to honor the Catholic holy day: the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Church-goers were conflicted by the Pennsylvania Grand Jury Report released Tuesday and the response by Cardinal Wuerl.
The report the horrors of abuse more than 1,000 victims endured by 301 identified "predator priests."
The report also identifies DC's Cardinal Wuerl as an “enabler.” Investigators say there times when he refused and there were times when he permitted an accused priest to be reassigned.
"He followed some bad advice from psychiatrists in terms of other priests,” said Tabbite.
"The way he handled the McCarrick story, the way he's handled this story, he hasn't offered an apology,” said Carney.
“Do you think he should step down?” WUSA9 asked Eileen Judd, a church-goer.
Judd answered, “No, I don't know that much but I think he has to admit that, ‘Yes, I was a part of it,’ because he's guilty.”
DC's Cardinal Theodore McCarrick was mentioned by one of the angered church-goers. McCarrick was a former Archbishop of Washington. Several reports say he was the first Cardinal in History to step down. He did so last month after sexual abuse allegations became public.
Cardinal Wuerl has said he did not know about these allegations in the past and is defending his actions in this latest report.
Multiple news outlets out of Pennsylvania now say there is now a petition to rename Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic High School outside of Pittsburgh, Penn.
