PHILADELPHIA (PA)
The Times Herald
By PATTI MENGERS, pmengers@21st-centurymedia.com
POSTED: 03/22/14
Officials in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia say it is another step in the healing process for Roman Catholics who were abused by priests when they were children. Advocates for survivors of abuse say it is just adds insult to injury.
Touted by the archdiocese as “the Mass for healing for victims of clergy sex abuse,” the service will be conducted by Philadelphia Archbishop Charles Chaput at the Cathedral Basilica of SS Peter and Paul in Philadelphia Saturday evening.
“All are welcome to attend as we continue to pray for the survivors of clergy sexual abuse, for the healing of the Church and for all who have been affected by clergy sexual abuse,” said the press release issued by the archdiocese 10 days before the Mass.
That would translate to dozens of victims of more than 60 priests since the 1940s in the five-county area that comprises the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, according to two Philadelphia Grand Jury reports issued in 2005 and 2011. “Holding the Mass is just one way in which the archdiocese reaches out to victims in an effort to assist them on the path to healing,” said Kenneth A. Gavin, Director of Communications for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
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