Rigali mentions abuse victims in Ash Wednesday homily

    As Cardinal Justin Rigalia holds an Ash Wednesday service inside the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, SNAP members are displaying photos of priest abuse victims outside the church.

    WHYY’s Lizz Fiedler is at the Cathedral, where the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests is displaying the school photos of victimized children. The Archdiocese of Philadelphia will soon begin to release the names of the most recently suspended 21 priests.

    Lizz sends a portion of Rigali’s homily:

    “In the life of Christ, Lent is all about facing the reality of sin in the light of the victory of Christ’s Death and Resurrection.”During this Lent we are especially conscious of the grave sins of sexual abuse committed against minors, in particular by members of the clergy…As I announced yesterday, the Archdiocese is having re-examined, cases of concern to the Grand Jury about allegations of abuse of minors or boundary issues of some priests.  We are likewise re-evaluating the way we handle allegations.  The protection of children is paramount .”

    • WHYY thanks our sponsors — become a WHYY sponsor

    Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

    WHYY is your source for fact-based, in-depth journalism and information. As a nonprofit organization, we rely on financial support from readers like you. Please give today.

    Want a digest of WHYY’s programs, events & stories? Sign up for our weekly newsletter.

    Together we can reach 100% of WHYY’s fiscal year goal