Cardinal Rigali acknowledges archdiocese mishandled cases of abuse

Philadelphia, Pa., Oct 9, 2005 / 22:00 pm

Cardinal Justin Rigali issued a pastoral letter last week in which he repeatedly and apologetically acknowledges that officials at the archdiocese had mishandled cases of clergy sex abuse, reported the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Cardinal Rigali had drawn much criticism from priests and Catholic faithful for his initial response to the grand jury's Sept. 20 report on sex abuse by priests. That same day, he had called the report "unjustifiably critical" of former Cardinals Anthony Bevilacqua and John Krol.

The pastoral letter, which he e-mailed to his assistant from Rome where he is attending the synod of bishops, acknowledged "the sinful actions of some priests" and noted "many Catholics are offended by the actions taken or not taken by those in authority."

However, he did not mention Church officials by name or cite any specific mistakes. He also did not he say whether any of the archdiocese officials in question would be disciplined or demoted.

The cardinal wrote that he has prayed for "renewed forgiveness" for the abuse and "for harm resulting from mistakes or errors in judgment made by anyone in administration."

He also asked each parish to conduct weekly holy hours to pray for the victims, their families, the abusers, and the Church.