CHICAGO (IL)
Huffington Post
Ahead of a Wednesday release of historical files on sexual abuse by Chicago-area priests, parishioners across the area found a message from the head of Chicago’s Roman Catholic Archdiocese in their Sunday programs explaining the move.
The pamphlet penned by Cardinal Francis George outlined the church’s plan to go public with files on sexual abuse, telling area faithful it was necessary for maintaining transparency within the archdiocese.
“Publishing for all to read the actual records of these crimes raises transparency to a new level,” George wrote in his letter according to the Sun-Times. “It will be helpful, we pray, for some, but painful for many.”
Speaking before news crews Sunday, George said, “It’s always important to tell the truth,” noting that the instances of misconduct happened in the ’80s before he was installed as cardinal, according to ABC Chicago. “I thought I better put it in some perspective, so that was the purpose of the letter.” …
While some parisioners who spoke to the Sun-Times said the release of the files was necessary to move forward and bring people back to the church, members of the Survivors’ Network of Those Abused by Priests (SNAP) handed out leaflets of their own outside Holy Name Cathedral.
SNAP activists called George’s message “self-serving” and asked area Catholics to ignore it.
“Please get the information directly from the source and not from someone who is trying to protect themselves and the institution for which they work,” Kate Bochte of SNAP told ABC.
The full report is set to be released Jan. 15 and will become available to the public about a week later.
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