CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- As the nation's Roman Catholic bishops gather in Mundelein to begin a seven-day spiritual retreat amid the ongoing sexual abuse scandal, Cardinal Blaise Cupich is tweeting about it.
The two-sentence statement is posted on both Twitter and Facebook. In it, Cardinal Cupich asks for prayers -- not just for him, but for all of the nation's bishops.
"With your support, we will pray and prepare to take action as we deepen our sacred commitment to keeping young people safe," he wrote.
Pope Francis called in late October for the retreat and is sending his personal preacher to direct it. As Mundelein Seminary chancellor, Cardinal Cupich is host.
This is not a business meeting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, and an archdiocesan spokesperson said they will not be discussing actions to address the scandal, either locally or nationally. That is expected in June. Instead, it is expected to be a week of quiet reflection, silent meal times, and personal and communal prayer.
A recent investigation by the Illinois attorney general's office found that the six Catholic dioceses of Illinois, including the Chicago archdiocese, failed to publicly identify the names of accused priests in more than 500 cases. The Illinois review was done following a similar investigation in Pennsylvania.
The retreat runs through Jan. 8.