BishopAccountability.org
	O'Malley Asks Congregants to Accept New Pope Inside, Mass; Outside, Protest By Maria Cramer Boston Globe [Boston MA] April 25, 2005 They were infirm and able-bodied, old and young. Some came in somber, dark coats and others in fluffy miniskirts and flip-flops. Dozens of worshipers waited patiently in line for the blessing of the sick yesterday, during a Mass of hope and healing at Cathedral of the Holy Cross, where many asked for spiritual guidance and help with life-threatening illnesses. Outside, a small group of protesters dismayed at the church's handling of the clergy sexual-abuse scandal had converged on the sidewalk, where they said they were doing their own healing. On the same day Benedict XVI was formally installed as pope of the Roman Catholic Church, Archbishop Sean P. O'Malley called on worshipers not to fear age and illness but show the "grace and courage" that the late Pope John Paul II tried to teach in his final days. During the Mass, O'Malley also praised the election of Benedict XVI and called on the 200 to 250 people in the cavernous church in Boston's South End to accept their new leader as the successor to Peter, the first pope. "Sometimes we can be so caught up in the personalities and achievements. . . . We all have our own preferences of style, ethnicity, and age, but today we need to focus" on the papacy's meaning, O'Malley said. "I trust that God has given the church the shepherd that we need at this moment." He prayed that Benedict XVI would act as a "healing presence" in the world and called on parishioners to love and support him. Parishioners were solemn during most of the celebration even as the passionate choir sang "Long Live the Pope." During the healing ritual, however, some said they became emotional once O'Malley laid his hands on their bowed heads and murmured the blessing. "It was very moving. It's tough to describe it," said John Cristiani, a Quincy firefighter who said he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma about three weeks ago. The 37-year-old father of two said he felt at peace. "I wasn't before today," he said, laughing. "I'm a lot calmer after this experience." Margaret Preval's ailment was not physical. The Mattapan 56-year-old said she asked for healing for relatives who do not attend church. "The two people that I'm really praying for, one says he doesn't believe in God, and the other believes in Buddhism," she said. Many worshipers said they were unaware of a group of about 20 protesters who had gathered outside on Washington Street with signs showing pictures of alleged victims of the clergy sex abuse scandal. "We're not healed yet," said Lynne Pollino, a member of the lay group Voice of the Faithful, shortly before the Mass began. O'Malley is "having a Mass for people who are physically ill, but many of us are -- psychologically and physically." Some protesters, a number of whom said they were victims of sexual abuse, said they believed that O'Malley needed to meet with more victims and apologize for their suffering. Church officials have said O'Malley met with victims, sent letters of apology, and made offers to pay for therapy. The protesters did not take their complaints inside, saying they did not want to be disruptive. But during the Mass, there was allusion to the scandal in the Prayer of the Faithful, during which congregants asked for healing for those suffering the emotional, psychological, and spiritual effects of sexual abuse. Jean Marchant, who as director of the archdiocese's Office of Health Care Ministry organized the celebration, said she wrote the intention for all victims of sex abuse. "I think it's important to lift up in prayer the needs of people who suffer from sexual abuse," she said. Despite her disappointment, Pollino said she is somewhat optimistic Benedict XVI will be responsive to sexual-abuse victims after reading recently in newspapers that the pope has researched such issues within the church. "I have a little bit of hope," Pollino said. "I feel like he has been affected." Following the Mass, at a reception in the church basement, Jerri DiClemente of Medford expressed confidence in the choice of Benedict XVI. "I'm just very excited they could decide so soon, so apparently he must have been held in high regard," she said. She was reluctant to say, however, whether she thought he was the right man to lead the church in the 21st century. "We hope and pray that, don't we?" she said, smiling. "But only God knows the answer to that."