BishopAccountability.org
	Church Officials Ask for God's Forgiveness By Mark Pratt The Associated Press, carried in Press of Atlantic City May 26, 2006 http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/nation/story/3296311p-12146962c.html BOSTON (AP) - On the altar of the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, Cardinal Sean O'Malley prostrated himself alongside two dozen bishops and priests, praying that God would forgive the damage done by the Roman Catholic Church's clergy sex abuse scandal. The start of the multiday pilgrimage Thursday through nine parishes in the Boston Archdiocese was supposed to be about hope and repentance, and apologizing to the victims in the abuse scandal. But as news spread that Dr. Robert Haddad, president and CEO of the archdiocese's health care system, resigned early Thursday amid allegations he harassed more than a dozen female employees with unwanted hugs and kisses, some questioned if church leaders are still responding too slowly, too secretly, to abuse claims. "There are extraordinary and painful parallels," said David Clohessy, director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. Haddad, the head of the Caritas Christi Health Care System, resigned after the board gave him the option of being fired or stepping down with salary plus benefits for 10 months, worth about $830,000. A Medford native of Lebanese descent, Haddad has attributed the complaints to a cultural misunderstanding, saying that in his culture, hugs and kisses are "warmly given and received." He also said he felt he did not do anything inappropriate. Outside the service at the Boston cathedral, protesters said Haddad's case was handled the same way as the abuse crisis. "It's just more of the same hypocrisy," said Susan Renehan of Southbridge, who said she was sexually abused by a priest over a three-year period while a child living in New Jersey. O'Malley's spokesman, Terrence Donilon, said the cardinal initially sought to make a reasoned decision "based on the facts that were presented" to him when he was told of the allegations by the first four women. Donilon said O'Malley moved decisively as soon as the additional women came forward. O'Malley, who was brought in by the Vatican in 2003 to clean up the abuse crisis, has been widely praised for his efforts to help the victims. Within months of arriving in Boston, he helped negotiate an $85 million settlement for more than 550 of them. But some victims and their supporters are still critical and many want more decisive action. Last week, a coalition of sex abuse survivor groups and their supporters sent a letter asking O'Malley to develop a public list of archdiocese priests and employees dismissed for sexual misconduct and to publicly support the elimination of the statute of limitations for sex crime laws. John Harris, 48, of Norwood called O'Malley's pilgrimage a "PR ploy." "I felt it was insulting," said Harris, who said he was molested by a priest at the age of 21. At the start of the Mass, O'Malley said the congregation came together "overwhelmed by the sadness and pain sexual abuse has caused our church." "We are sorry that this pain was hidden and the sins were not exposed," he said. "So much suffering was caused by the actions and inactions of bishops and priests." The Rev. John Connolly, a special assistant to O'Malley and rector of the cathedral, while not addressing the specific requests of the protesters, said the archdiocese has made significant and substantive efforts to address past instances of sex abuse and to prevent future cases. "Every day there is action," he said. "But, yes, there's a lot more that needs to be done."
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.