MASSACHUSETTS
WAMC
[with audio]
By PAUL TUTHILL
The spiritual leader of Roman Catholics in western Massachusetts offered a broad apology today to people wounded by the clergy sex abuse scandal, to those embittered by church closings, and to people who were alienated from the church over racial and cultural differences or sexual orientation.
In a 2,300 word pastoral letter released on Ash Wednesday, Springfield Bishop Mitchell Rozanski asked forgiveness for “ our past failings as a diocese” and the “ grievous actions” of some who ministered in the church. He called on priests and lay leaders to be proactive in efforts to get lapsed Catholics to return, and vowed the church would be open to “self-examination and change.”
Speaking with reporters after the noon mass at Saint Michael’s Cathedral in Springfield, Rozanski said the pastoral letter titled “The Wideness of God’s Mercy” is his answer to a diocesan survey taken last September that generated nearly 3,000 responses.
” We know we’ve offended you in one way or another and if you are separated from us because of that please don’t let it stand in the way,” Rozanski said. ” Come back to the church.” …
David Clohessy, national director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), called the latest apology “public relations” and said Rozanski should take tangible steps to protect children from abuse.
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