When the former nuncio in the United States, Carlo Viganò, accused the pope of covering up McCarrick's crimes, 24 bishops joined him, in varying degrees, to call for clarification and facts.
The initiative is organized for World Day of the Poor, to be celebrated this Sunday around the world.
John Paul II's most important biographer, George Weigel, points out the Church's relatively quick response once concrete information was presented.
The initiative was born at the beginning of the 20th century in a Protestant context, and it gained strength over the years.
