Pulpit Announcement Read at All Masses Last Weekend, Radnor Patch, March 17, 2011

Pulpit Announcement Read at All Masses Last Weekend

Radnor Patch
March 17, 2011

http://radnor.patch.com/articles/pulpit-announcement-read-at-all-masses-last-weekend

What follows is the pulpit announcement that was issued to pastors throughout the Archdiocese of Philadelphia for use last weekend at Masses. It was a general announcement for use in parishes not directly effected by administrative leave announcements.

Pulpit announcements were also sent to those parishes directly effected by administrative leaves. The only thing different in those announcements was that the name of the individual priest connected with the specific parish was included in the announcement, according to the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

"Good morning (afternoon or evening). Cardinal Rigali has asked me to speak to you this weekend as a follow up to the announcement made at Masses on Ash Wednesday. At that time, you were informed that the Cardinal placed 21 archdiocesan priests on administrative leave on Monday, March 7th as part of the continuing response to the 2011 Grand Jury Report.

This has been a difficult time for everyone. Victims of sexual abuse have had to relive painful memories. People are understandably upset and many have expressed confusion in learning that priests whom they admire face allegations of misconduct. All of us are attempting to understand these difficulties and are experiencing a broad range of emotions.

We realize that these feelings have been compounded because of the limited information available. I ask you to understand that it would be unfair to anyone involved in this process, accusers or accused, to reveal specific details about individuals. As a matter of justice and Christian charity, we owe it to all parties to respect this necessary confidentiality. At the same time, it would not be fair to paint all those priests currently on administrative leave with the same broad brush. We must remember that these cases span a range from allegations of sexual abuse to complaints of boundary issues with minors.

As Cardinal Rigali has stated, “I want to be clear: These administrative leaves are interim measures. They are not in any way final determinations or judgments.” He also said, “I know that for many people their trust in the Church has been shaken. I pray that the efforts of the Archdiocese to address these cases of concern and to re-evaluate our way of handling allegations will help rebuild that trust in truth and justice.”

All public information regarding the ongoing response to the Grand Jury report can be found on the Archdiocesan website, www.archphila.org.

Please join me in prayer for all those involved. In a special way, we pray for all victims of child sexual abuse. During this season of Lent, Catholics in the Archdiocese bear a heavy cross created by the sins and failings of others. As Catholics, however, we believe that Christ carries this cross with us. In sharing in His pain and suffering, we also share in His victory over sin and evil in the bright dawn of His Resurrection."