NEW JERSEY
The Record
WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 25, 2013
BY JEFF GREEN
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD
Pope Francis’ humility, inclusive tone and emphasis on helping the poor instilled a sense of new hope for Catholics attending Christmas Mass on Wednesday in Bergen and Passaic counties, especially after a difficult year of revelations about clergy sex abuse in North Jersey.
Monsignor Ed Ciuba greeting parishioners at Christmas Mass at the Church of the Presentation in Upper Saddle River. Many North Jersey Catholics are encouraged by Pope Francis’ non-judgmental tone.
Mary Beth Just and her son, Justin Machia, wishing each other peace during a Christmas morning Mass at the Church of the Presentation in Upper Saddle River.
“We always have a pope who’s appropriate for the time he’s been in office,” said Monsignor Robert Harahan, pastor of St. Elizabeth of Hungary Church in Wyckoff. “Now, we need a resurrection of basics of Christian life, commitment to the faith and service to people in need.”
Pope Francis, 77, has used his office to draw attention to poverty and youth unemployment and has surprised many Catholics with his non-judgmental tone on social issues, including homosexuality and divorce. In his first Christmas address at the Vatican, he extended a hand to atheists to join the cause of ending violence in Syria and Africa. …
The pope’s uplifting message is especially welcome after several controversies emerged this year over sexually abusive priests in the Archdiocese of Newark, which covers Bergen, Essex, Hudson and Union counties. Archbishop John J. Myers was accused of not supervising a priest who was banned from working with children and failing to investigate a molestation complaint received by his former diocese in Illinois.
Mary Anne Nugent, a parishioner at the Church of the Presentation in Upper Saddle River, said the pope’s appointment of assistant Archbishop Bernard A. Hebda is a “move toward healing” from a “great deal of pain, suffering and disappointment.”
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