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	Editorial: Chaput Has Important Tasks in Philadelphia Daily Times July 20, 2011 http://www.delcotimes.com/articles/2011/07/20/opinion/doc4e2637723e8f6968387932.txt Cardinal Justin Rigali's announcement Tuesday that he is resigning his post as leader of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia's 1.5 million Roman Catholics could be interpreted as having several meanings. The most obvious is that the archbishop of Philadelphia, who was ordained a priest 50 years ago, is now age 76 and entitled to retirement. His predecessor, Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua, who was Philadelphia's archbishop for 15 years, was 80 when Rigali took over the post on Oct. 7, 2003. Another explanation circulating among his critics is that Rigali is resigning — or has been asked to resign by Pope Benedict XVI — because of his alleged mishandling of complaints about sexual abuse of children and adolescents by priests and archdiocesan employees. In February, a former priest, two current priests and a lay teacher were arrested and charged with sexually abusing boys in archdiocesan churches or schools. An archdiocesan administrator, also a priest, was criminally charged for endangering the welfare of children by not protecting them from their alleged abusers. All five men have denied the allegations. The criminal charges came on the heels of a second Philadelphia grand jury report on clerical sexual abuse that confirmed what was found in the first, released in 2005 — that officials in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia knowingly allowed suspected abusers to remain in the priesthood or among the general public without turning them over to civil authorities. Specifically cited was the Rev. Msgr. William Lynn, who, as secretary of clergy, was responsible for investigating clerical sexual abuse from 1992 until 2003 under Bevilacqua. He is now the highest-ranking church official in the nation arrested in connection with clerical sex abuse. "The rapist priests we accuse were well known to the secretary of clergy, but he cloaked their conduct and put them in place to do it again. The procedures implemented by the archdiocese to help victims are in fact designed to help the abusers, and the archdiocese itself," the grand jury charged. But the grand jury's report was even more damning. It claimed that "apparent abusers — dozens of them, we believe — remain on duty in the archdiocese today with open access to new young prey." Rigali emphatically denied that claim. Nevertheless, he assembled a team headed by former Philadelphia assistant district attorney Gina Maisto Smith to review complaints about current priests ranging from sexual abuse of minors to what archdiocesan officials call "boundary issues." Since then, 26 priests, including pastors of two Delaware County parishes and at least seven other priests with Delaware County ties, have been suspended. Rigali certainly can't be held accountable for all the cases of alleged clerical sexual abuse that have occurred in the archdiocese. According to the first grand jury investigation, launched by former Philadelphia District Attorney Lynne Abraham in 2002, 63 priests allegedly abused children as far back as the 1940s; 43 had connections with Delaware County. That would mean they came under the direction of former Philadelphia hierarchy including Archbishop Dennis Dougherty, Cardinal John O'Hara, Cardinal John Krol and Bevilacqua. All 63 priests mentioned in the first Philadelphia grand jury report escaped criminal prosecution because Pennsylvania's statute of limitations had expired by the time civil authorities became aware of the alleged abuse. That statute has since been expanded which helped implement the February arrest of the four suspected pedophiles and their archdiocesan administrator. Unfortunately for Rigali, the arrests have occurred under his watch. Even Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams, himself a Catholic, has acknowledged Rigali's unenviable position. "He came into a very difficult situation and I think he tried to do what he thought was best for the church. I'm not going to comment on the findings of the grand jurors, but I will say that Cardinal Rigali's response to their report has been constructive," said Williams. Rigali is obviously aware of his critics. "If I have offended anyone in any way, I am deeply sorry. I apologize for any weaknesses on my part in representing Christ and his church worthily and effectively," Rigali said Tuesday. On Sept. 8, Rigali will officially turn the reins of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia over to Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, who has led the archdiocese of Denver since 1997. "I don't know why the Holy Father sent me here, but I do trust and I do believe in his judgement," Chaput said on Tuesday. We can give the new Philadelphia archbishop two very good reasons for coming to this archdiocese: To protect and to heal. If he is up to those tasks, he will do a lot towards restoring the trust of the faithful and the good will of the general public that suffers when pedophiles are permitted to find sanctuary within church walls.
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