Charles Chaput becomes Philadelphia archbishop today
Charles Chaput will be installed this afternoon as the new archbishop of Philadelphia. The event begins with a procession to the Cathedral led by “approximately 700 Cardinals, Bishops, Priests, Deacons and Seminarian,” which Chaput will watch with Cardinal Justin Rigali from the Cathedral steps.
Chaput will be appointed during an afternoon mass, which Lt. Gov. Jim Cawley and Mayor Michael Nutter are expected to attend. Gov. Tom Corbett was tapped to appear, but is doing a flood damage tour of the state.
NewsWorks/WHYY’s Lizz Fiedler sat down this week with Chaput to discuss his appointment and his take on the clergy sex abuse charges. Chaput’s answers drew some criticism from our readers.
“Vague, imprecise and lacking specific detail,” reader SKIAVDOCATE said of Chaput’s reponses.
Judy Block Jones of the Survivor’s Network of Those Abused by Priests writes, “Chaput does not have a clue about how victims of clergy sex abuse feel. He does not have a clue what they have to deal with on a daily bases just to survive. He does not have a clue about the damage that so many clergy have inflicted on innocent children,” regarding Chaput’s take on how the church handled the accusations.
You can listen to and read the full interview here, with video and watch Chaput’s installation live here.
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