CHICAGO (IL)
Chicago Tribune
By Kim Geiger,
Chicago Tribune
Making his first of three pastoral visits to ethnic parishes across Chicago, Archbishop Blase Cupich on Sunday apologized to parishioners at a West Side church who have been grappling with a sex abuse scandal involving a former church pastor.
Cupich, 65, who became Chicago’s ninth archbishop Tuesday, said he chose St. Agatha Catholic Church in the Lawndale neighborhood for his first pastoral visit because he wanted to highlight the good work within the predominantly African-American parish in spite of the scandal involving defrocked priest Daniel McCormack, who has been convicted of abusing five boys and was charged earlier this year with molesting more.
“My heartbreak of the terrible things that one of your pastors did is first of all to those who were injured,” he said. “And I apologize. I’m sorry. That’s not the way it should have — that’s not the way we should treat each other. That’s not the way a leader should act.”
But, he added, “also, my heart breaks for the many good priests who seem to be suffering too. So pray for these good men who serve you. Pray that the lord heal all of us.”
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