Local Catholics divided on Lynn fallout
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After Monsignor William J. Lynn became the first senior Catholic Church official convicted of covering up the sexual abuse of children by priests under his supervision, people attending Sunday’s evening Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul dealt with the ongoing scandal in different ways.
Rose Boyle, 22, a Temple student living in North Philadelphia, regularly attends Mass at the basilica, on the Ben Franklin Parkway at Logan Square. She said, “If you’re married and if saying, ‘I love you,’ to your wife is part of your marriage, and you hear about a guy who cheats on his wife, that doesn’t mean you stop saying, ‘I love you’ to your wife,” Boyle said.
“The institution of the Catholic Church is the way I express my love for God,” she said. “My relationship with the Catholic Church hasn’t changed because some people in the church did some wrong things. I’m not going to stop going to church and saying, ‘I love God.’”
David Sherrard, 56, of Seattle said, “I’m a confessed Christian. We’re all sinners. All of us need to ask for forgiveness, and to forgive.”
But his companion, Victoria Geraci, 56, a practicing Catholic also from Seattle, said, “I don’t know that I’m as forgiving as David. People are driven away from the church by what happened with the priests and what they were doing. What’s going on now with the priests is keeping people away.”
Meanwhile, two prominent local Catholics interviewed by phone also had strong reactions.
Sister Mary Scullion, whose Project HOME has helped thousands of homeless people in Philadelphia, said, “This is a very dark time in the history of the institutional Church. Hopefully, it’s a wakeup call to the church to be more honest and transparent and compassionate, and to begin to repent and make reparations for the grievous offenses against children. Only time will tell.
“With God’s grace, all things are possible. The church is going to have to find its way back. And that’s not going to be by pretending everything’s back to normal tomorrow. The institutionalized church will have to find the courage to say, ‘Oh, my God, we totally screwed up. We’re going to open our books, include more women and minorities and professional people on our boards, and do whatever we need to do to heal.”
City Councilman Jim Kenney said, “During the early ’90s, when we were debating domestic partnerships, Archbishop Anthony Bevilacqua bashed our legislation giving gay city employees who lived together the same rights as any couples employed by the city. Bevilacqua was inciting people to be against the legislation at the same time he was hiding pedophile priests.
“I would help any priest or nun at a parish dealing with people’s issues. Do I believe in Jesus and in God? Yes. Do I believe in the parish system? Yes. But do I care about these people [at the Archdiocese] who run it? No. I couldn’t care less.”
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9 Comments
Some very interesting comments today. It is a shame that 30-40 years ago the chuch treated pedophlies in the same way they did alcholics and addictions, unfortunitly a 6 week treatment program does not help pedophiles and the church was very slow to learn from that mistake and needs to make ammends. Let’s remember that Jesus is the church, not human administration and Jesus came for the poor, the broken, the sick and the sinners. I think it far better to seek justice, mercy and forgiveness
I agree with Rosa Boyle’s opinion, and my Dad always said to me when I critizied anything of the Catholic church, Janet, Jesus is just the same in the Taberanacle.
Janet — you were / are blessed to have the father that you do. I hope you do not waver from what he taught you.
If this man can cover up these crimes what are we to do with him?
Why haven’t we heard from the vatican on this conviction? Why? Because they don’t care. Justice and Peace are dead in the catholic church. If this man does not do jail time it’s a ringing indictment on how the church is above the law. Shame on all catholics.
Thomas — I hope you do not attend a Catholic Church on Sunday. Shame on you for you vindictiveness, and judgmentalness, especially when you do not have the facts to back up your assertions; for example, that the Vatican does not care about child abuse. Wow, I’m sure you’ve personally talked with the people you are accusing. May God be more merciful to you than you are to the hierarchy of His Church.
many Cardinals bishops and priests of the Roman Churcrh obviously fidn’t care about child abuse adv proven by their actions and in actions
More correctly, Tony: as you INTERPRET their actions and inactions as filtered through liberal media like the very liberal Boston Globe and the ultra-liberal NY Times.
Isn’t that funny how Sister Scullion will use this opportunity to try to position women politically? She apparently doesn’t understand God’s rationale for creating women. This is precisely why I am very careful before giving to any order of religious women. Many of them are feminists and not true Catholics.
This is indeed a very dark time for Holy Mother the Church.
HIs Emenence Anthony Cardinal Bevalaqua has let the church down in the diocese of Philly.
Priest played, His emenence covered it up.
The people of Philly are losing churches, schools and its newspaper of the diocese.
Sister is Correct, His Emenancem whom the Holy Father appointed to be shephard over the people have led them astray.
Talk about a wolf in sheeps clothing and some people fault the Sisters.