PENNSYLVANIA
The Intelligencer
By James Boyle, staff writer
The priest at a Bucks County parish received applause at Sunday Mass after encouraging his congregation to fight a bill that would extend the time a person claiming child abuse can file a civil suit.
“Getting involved in political issues is nothing new for this parish,” said Monsignor John Marine, of St. Bede the Venerable in Northampton’s Holland section. “We will speak up on any moral issue, whether it’s the disrespect of human life or restriction on the expression of religious freedom.”
Marine said the call to act came after Philadelphia Archbishop Charles Chaput delivered a sharp rebuke against House Bill 1947, which, if passes, would extend the statute of limitations for child sex abuse victims to file civil lawsuits. In a letter directed to archdiocese parishioners, Chaput says the legislation unfairly places a larger liability on private and faith-based organizations than public institutions.
He urged parishioners to ask lawmakers to oppose the bill, calling it a “clear attack on the church, her parishes and her people.”
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