HARRISBURG (PA)
WHTM
November 20, 2018
By Dennis Owens
A woman from Enola spoke with us and doesn’t want her face seen, or her name identified, but she does want her voice heard.
“I can’t stress enough how much a part of my identity being Catholic was as I grew up,” she said. “[I’m] sad, disturbed, embarrassed at some level even to identify as a Catholic, and there’s a real feeling of betrayal.”
She is not alone, but are fewer faithful filling pews and collection baskets in the Harrisburg Diocese?
“Generally not, the faithful are still coming and they’re still committed to the church,” said Matt Haverstick, an attorney for the diocese.
Haverstick would not reveal the exact numbers on attendance or contributions since the scandal. He’s a little more forthcoming on the number of clergy abuse victims out there.
“A little over a hundred,” he said.
And how much money a newly created fund will need to help them.
“It is going to be real. It’s not a token effort or a phantom effort. This is going to be in a quantum of millions,” he said.
Haverstick insists collection plate money will not be used.
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