PHILADELPHIA (PA)
WXOW
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — –
Priests, nuns and canon lawyers who advocate for clergy sex abuse victims urged Pope Francis, on the eve of his U.S. visit, to investigate the child protection records of Cardinal Justin Rigali, the former archbishop of Philadelphia, and Cardinal Raymond Burke, who led dioceses in Wisconsin and Missouri.
The group, which calls itself the Catholic Whistleblowers, wants an inquiry of Rigali, who was Philadelphia archbishop from 2003 to 2011 and retired amid an uproar over grand jury allegations that he was keeping about three dozen suspected abusers in ministry. His successor, Archbishop Charles Chaput, has removed several priests from church work since he took over.
The advocates are also calling for an investigation of Burke, who led the Diocese of La Crosse, Wisconsin, and the Archdiocese of St. Louis before leaving for Rome to lead the Vatican’s highest court. The advocates have accused him of insensitive treatment of victims and their families.
The Rev. James Connell, a canon lawyer and member of the group, said that in La Crosse, Burke used a very strict definition in canon law to evaluate abuse cases – equivalent to guilty beyond a reasonable doubt – instead of a lesser standard called for in the U.S. bishops’ own policies, and therefore left abusers in ministry.
“I think the church would like people to think this is over, this is finished, we’ve handled it,” said Sister Maureen Paul Turlish of Delaware, a member of the advocacy group, who spoke at the news conference Wednesday in Philadelphia. “It’s not true. It’s not over.”
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