NEW YORK
Democrat and Chronicle
Written by
Sean Dobbin
Staff writer
Saying that his first priority in Rochester would be to bring people back to Mass, Bishop Salvatore Matano implored disenfranchised Catholics to return to the church.
“Come home. We miss you. Come home. The Lord is awaiting. Come home. Because again, his arms will be open,” he said.
Matano, 67, who currently serves as the bishop of the Diocese of Burlington, Vt., has been selected by Pope Francis to become the ninth bishop of the Diocese of Rochester. He will be officially installed on Jan. 3.
The move appears to be a promotion of sorts — the Diocese of Rochester has about 350,000 people who identify themselves as Catholic, or about three times as many as those in the Diocese of Burlington. But for Matano, it’s also a fresh start, as his new home will provide some distance from the sexual abuse litigation that plagued the Diocese of Burlington during his tenure. …
Early in his remarks Matano addressed the sexual abuse scandal, which was more damaging to the church’s finances and reputation in the Diocese of Burlington than elsewhere.
“Much of my administration was dealing with these situations,” he said. “It has been a very, very painful time, a very painful time for the victims and all affected by this crisis. I want to take this opportunity again to apologize (to) the victims of sexual abuse for what they’ve endured at the hands of those who they trusted. I pray I handled those circumstances as best I could.”
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