ST. LOUIS (MO)
Riverfront Times
By Sam Levin Wed., Jul. 17 2013
Earlier this week, local victims’ rights advocates were outraged when they saw an invitation to a meet-up at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis to pray for the “defense and exoneration” of Father Xiu Hui “Joseph” Jiang, a priest accused of repeatedly molesting a teenage girl. Representatives of the Archdiocese of St. Louis said they were not aware of the event until Daily RFT reached out and ultimately canceled it and had the meetup.com listing removed.
The organizers behind the event, however, went forward with the prayer last night — moving it to a private home. These churchgoers and supporters of Jiang emphasize that they are not affiliated with the Archdiocese and have no gripes about church leaders’ decision to cancel.
“We completely believe in his innocence,” says Lucy Hannegan, who has known Jiang for years and has organized informal efforts to back him in the wake of the criminal charges. “We support him and we stand behind him.”
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