Priest sexual abuse scandal takes a toll on Catholics

Republican-American
January 27, 2019

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The Most Reverend Leonard P. Blair, Archbishop of Hartford, left, leaves St. Bartholomew church after presiding over a Mass of Reparation with other priests from the Hartford Archdiocese in Manchester on Sunday. Bill Shettle Republican-American

The Archdiocese of Hartford held the first of three Masses of Repairation Sunday in Manchester for the victims of the priest sexual abuse scandal, but it’s not only the victims who are suffering.

Catholics attending Mass in Torrington and Waterbury said the release of the list of credibly accused priests was painful, especially for those who knew those named.

“I knew a lot of the men on that list and I think what needs to be remembered is a lot of them aren’t around anymore to answer for it. You can’t buy into it,” said Shawn Pace of Waterbury.

”The men I did see and are gone were great men,” he said. “Your faith in God is your faith in God and Catholics need to stick with that faith.”

On the steps of the St. John Paul the Great Church in Torrington, most parishioners said Sunday morning they preferred not to talk about the allegations of sexual abuse. Others became visibly emotional at the mention of the decades-long scandal.

“It breaks your heart,” said Brigid Somers of Torrington. “This is your faith, this is what you believe in and to see what happened is just heartbreaking. It went on for far too long.”

Her husband shared a similar sentiment. “For [the abuse] to go on for that long was difficult to read about,” Tom Somers said.

The Rev. Roberto McCarthy, pastor at Blessed Sacrament Church on Robbins Street in Waterbury, said he addressed the topic during most of the weekend’s Masses save for the 11 a.m. Mass, which was devoted to celebrating the city’s Catholic schools.

McCarthy described the revelations as bittersweet.

“The truth always needs to come out for healing, and it’s hard,” he said.

Francine Nido, a member of All Saints / Todos Los Santos Parish in Waterbury who served as lector during Sunday morning’s Mass at Our Lady of Lourdes Church on South Main Street, said one reading summed up a general mood.

“The reading was about, the church as a body it’s one body, with many parts. Everything is affected and connected,” Nido said. “When one part of the church is hurt, it hurts the whole church.”

She and others appear to be pleased with an effort by church leaders to be more transparent about clergy abuse. Furthermore, she and others are relieved to learn that the payouts made to settle abuse claims were covered in part by insurance.

Ron Bouchard, another All Saints parishioner who has long attended the Shrine of Saint Anne Church, said as far as he is concerned, church leaders are “doing the best they can to straighten this out.”

The abuse scandal hasn’t shaken Bouchard’s faith, which he said, “hasn’t changed.”
Others, like Danielle Albert, who were raised Catholic, have decided to stop practicing their religion.
“I can’t believe with as many individuals that were involved, that more people didn’t know,” Albert said. “The church hid this like a cancer, and I think the priests and clergy even if not directly involved, all played their part in keeping this hidden.

“I just don’t have it in my heart to attend. It just feels hypocritical,” she said. “I loved church. But this is too much.”