Amid controversy caused by a Vatican official's assertions that priests "have no credibility" in marriage preparation, representatives from dioceses across the United States maintain that both priests and laity have integral roles in the process.

Cardinal Kevin J. Farrell, head of the Vatican office for laity and family, said he was "shocked" when he heard allegations of years of sexual abuse and harassment by Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, the man who ordained him a bishop and whom he served as an auxiliary bishop for six years.

Archbishop Hunthausen lived simply and humbly. He listened and served. And he extended Christ’s mercy and love to all, especially the poor, the suffering and the forgotten.

Women often “bring up the voice of those who are the most vulnerable in our society,” says Hans Zollner, S.J., who heads the Centre for Child Protection in Rome.

The private letter, sent more than a year ago, may have had changed Mr. Kelly’s mind for a time.

U.S. religious belief has been more resilient than in other modernized, affluent countries. Still, weekly churchgoing pales compared with Poland.