UNITED STATES
Times of Trenton
By Times of Trenton Editorial Board
on December 03, 2014
Preparations already are under way in Philadelphia for the September visit of Pope Francis as part of the World Meeting of Families.
Occurring every three years, the event is highly anticipated and attended by Catholics worldwide. The gathering in Philadelphia looms even larger with the pope’s promised attendance, and organizers anticipate up to 2 million people will crowd the city when he celebrates an outdoor Mass Sept. 27.
The reception the Delaware Valley region plans for this most approachable of popes echoes the welcome extended by people of all faiths for this most unlikely of popes elected in 2013 to lead a failing and foundering church. …
The pope has also encountered criticism.
Advocates for those sexually assaulted by predator priests contend the pope has not taken concrete steps to rout out the molesters and rapists who have found sanctuary within the church.
In the wake of possibly centuries of such abuse, their impatience is wholly justified.
Yet, Pope Francis cut through miles of red tape to initiate investigation into clerical sexual abuse last month in Spain, and he has vowed to hold bishops accountable for their handling of pedophile priests.
Over the summer, during his first meeting with Catholics molested by members of the clergy, he apologized for “the sins and grave crimes of clerical sexual abuse committed against you. And I humbly ask forgiveness.”
That changing attitude is evident in the apology by Trenton Bishop Daniel O’Connell to a South Jersey man who was assaulted hundreds of times by the diocese’s former youth leader during the 1980s and ‘90s.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.