MASSACHUSETTS
Boston Globe
By Laura Crimaldi and Andy Rosen GLOBE STAFF OCTOBER 15, 2015
SCITUATE — A group of Roman Catholic parishioners called on Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley Thursday to reverse plans to close the church where they’ve held a vigil for nearly 11 years.
The statements from members of Friends of St. Frances X. Cabrini came at a news conference a day after the Massachusetts Appeals Court ruled that they are trespassers and the Boston Archdiocese, as the owner of the property, has the right to order them to leave.
The group, which members say numbers around 100, is still considering its legal options. An attorney said members could seek further review by the appeals court or ask the Supreme Judicial Court to hear an appeal.
The group also called on O’Malley, the leader of the Roman Catholic church in Boston, to visit the church and reconsider the closure.
“We’re disappointed. I can say there’s a lot of anger in this room,” vigil leader Jon Rogers said Thursday. “Everyone believes that this is self-centered. Indeed it is not.”
Members of the vigil say O’Malley has not spoken to them about the clergy sex abuse scandal, which they say affected their parish.
“You don’t get to abuse children and then steal our church to pay for your sins,” Rogers said Thursday.
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