DES MOINES (IA)
Des Moines Register
August 31, 2018
By Shelby Fleig
Des Moines Bishop Richard Pates has set aside four “special days” to honor the victims of sex abuse by clergy in the Catholic Church.
In response to a letter by Pope Francis condemning the abuse detailed in a recent Pennsylvania grand jury report, Pates invited all local parishes to pray and fast each Friday in September. The call is meant to “encourage penitence for the sin of sexual abuse that has affected our Church, as well as the cover-up of this sin by Church leadership,” said Pates in a letter.
“We showed no care for the little ones,” wrote Pope Francis nearly a week after the grand jury report was made public. “We abandoned them.”
The Bishop invited all 80 parishes and 17 schools in the Diocese of Des Moines to participate. Pates will lead prayer services on Sept. 7 and and Sept. 14 at St. Ambrose Cathedral.
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