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	Priest Suggests Pope Resign By Jack Flynn East Longmeadow April 13, 2010 http://www.masslive.com/springfield/republican/index.ssf?/base/news-27/127114658141640.xml&coll=1 Less than 24 hours after calling for Pope Benedict XVI to step down, the Rev. James J. Scahill drew a rebuke from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield Monday. A longtime critic of the church's sexual abuse crisis, Scahill delivered four sermons over the weekend suggesting that the 82-year old Pontiff should take greater responsibility for solving the church's clergy abuse problems or resign. The sermons, delivered at St. Michael Parish, made Scahill one of the first priests in the nation to call for the pope's departure. In a response issued Monday afternoon, Bishop Timothy A. McDonnell faulted Scahill for bringing up the issue on a Sunday meant to foster reconciliation and forgiveness in the church. "There is a sad irony in that Father Scahill's remarks were delivered on Divine Mercy Sunday," said McDonnell, adding the church has expressed "tremendous sorrow, sadness and shame" about clergy abuse cases. "The church leadership knows how difficult it is for those who have suffered abuse at the hands of clergy who should have been signs of God's love rather than inflictors of pain," the bishop said." Here in the Diocese of Springfield, as in trouble throughout the United States and beyond, we are vigilant in the efforts undertaken to ensure such tragedies can never happen again." Scahill criticized the church's handling of clergy abuse cases in sermons on Saturday and Sunday, citing the questions about the pope's own role overseeing sexual abuse investigations in the 1980s as a Vatican official. "There were standing ovations at two Masses, and applause at the others" said Scahill, who first spoke out about the sexual abuse scandals in 2002. One parishoner "booed very boisterously and called me a heretic'," Scahill added. The priest chose the weekend to call for pope's resignation because it was the feast of St. Thomas the Apostle, also known as "Doubting Thomas" for his initial skepticism about the resurrection of Jesus. "I think a lot of lay people have strong doubts as to the veracity of our church leaders, in terms of what was known, for how long and by whom" Scahill said. St. Michael's Parish Council president Thomas LaMondia said the congregation was largely generally supportive of Scahill's message. A prominent clergy abuse activist, Olan F. Horne, of Westfield, praised Scahill's call for the pope's resignation, saying it mirrored the sentiments of many clergy abuse survivors. Horne said there are plans for a gathering in Rome on Oct. 31 to call attention to impatience with church's efforts to deal with the crisis. "His statement resonates exactly with what we are talking about," said Horne, a Lowell native who met with Pope Benedict in Washington D.C. in 2008 to discuss the clergy abuse crisis. Horne said area activists will invite Scahill to join them in Rome for the October event to discuss the clergy abuse crisis to discuss the clergy abuse crisis to discuss the clergy abuse crisis to discuss the clergy abuse crisis Join the conversation Here's what MassLive.com users had to say about The Rev. James J. Scahill calling on Pope Benedict XVI to resign: "Scahill should be excommunicated. It seems his goal is to destroy the Catholic church. At a time when the church needs healing and damage control, this heretic is trying to cause more damage. Are you the only decent person in the church, Mr. Scahill?" Paul "Damage? How could it be more damaged? The priests who committed these abhorrent acts are the ones who damaged the church. Not Scahill. He's just calling it as he sees it." pierce9999 Want to learn more? Visit www.masslive.com/howto to set up an account and post your thoughts
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