O’Malley touts church efforts to change in aftermath of scandal
Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley cited outreach to immigrants and young people as ways the Boston Archdiocese has tried to rebuild in the 15 years since Cardinal Bernard Law resigned amid the priest sex abuse scandal — and he hopes Christmas will help alienated Catholics reconnect.
“We know at Christmas, many people will revisit the church, and we hope they’ll find a welcoming and joyful community to receive them and to help them feel at home as part of our Catholic family,” O’Malley said yesterday.
Outrage over Law’s serial mishandling of pedophile priests, followed later by the grief and anger over the closure of dozens of beloved churches because of financial problems, drove away many Catholics who still haven’t returned.
O’Malley touted signs of hope the archdiocese has found its way again.
He noted the opening of the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Voyage in the Seaport in April as “an outreach to young people” — the first newly dedicated church in six decades, in a spot the archdioceses estimates some 100,000 people pass every day.
He added that many parishes have also focused on developing creative programs to attract more young people.
The archdiocese is also reaching out more to immigrant communities, O’Malley said. He cited the upcoming fifth Encuentro Nacional — a national convening of Hispanic parishioners set for next year.
O’Malley told reporters the archdiocese has changed how it handles allegations of priest abuse since 2002 and continues enforcing tougher protocols.
“We have worked very hard to develop policies which we believe are effective,” O’Malley said. “I know sometimes it can be a burden in the parishes, but every chance I get I reiterate how essential this is. We all have to be ever-vigilant and do everything that we can to create safe environments.”
Since O’Malley became archbishop in 2003, the Boston archdiocese has settled about 1,000 claims of clergy sex abuse at a cost of $215 million, according to the archdiocese.
But for O’Malley and others in the local church hierarchy, Law’s death was a reminder that it may take generations to fully move on from the priest sex abuse crisis.