Anger Over Sex Abuse Emerges on Holy Day

Church officials and parishioners from coast to coast spoke out angrily Sunday against the growing scandal over sexual abuse by priests, as American Catholics gathered for services observing the most solemn week on the Christian calendar.

After weeks of staunchly defending the Roman Catholic Church, and in some cases declining to comment on the volatile issue, many clergy used the themes of Palm Sunday--faith, suffering and redemption--to try to rekindle public trust in their handling of the damaging allegations.

In his homily, New York Cardinal Edward Egan sought to dampen increasing criticism over his policy of reporting abuse allegations to police only when church officials believe such action is warranted. Speaking before a crowded sanctuary at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Egan said he was taking steps for “this evil to be stamped out” by urging church members to report abuse to authorities.

“It is a time of great suffering for the church,” Egan said. “The cry that comes from all of our hearts is that we never want to even think that such a horror may be visited upon any of our young people, their parents or loved ones.”

Many parishioners welcomed the comments by Egan, whose archdiocese includes about 2.4 million Catholics in New York, but criticized him for not wavering from his policy. Others spoke uneasily about allegations that Egan, while he was a bishop in Bridgeport, Conn., had allowed priests suspected of abuse to continue working with the church.

“I’m glad he’s speaking out, but it doesn’t go far enough,” said Julie Bennett, a New York parishioner, as she left the cathedral. “The church has to play a more active role if it suspects that children are being abused. It can’t just keep things quiet.”

In Washington, parishioners gave a standing ovation to Father Percival L. D’Silva, at the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament, when he called for the resignation of Boston Cardinal Bernard Law. D’Silva, who made his comments during a lengthy Palm Sunday sermon, is one of the most prominent Catholic officials to demand such action in the archdiocese where the national scandal over sexual abuse came to light.

Law has been criticized for his handling of the case involving John Geoghan, who has been accused of molesting more than 130 people during more than 30 years as a Massachusetts priest. As evidence grew against Geoghan, Law and others did not dismiss him but instead shifted him from parish to parish. Since the stories about Geoghan became public, the Boston Archdiocese has turned over the names of more than 80 other priests suspected of sexual abuse over the last 40 years.

As evening Mass began, D’Silva, a small man with a salt-and-pepper beard who has been a priest for 38 years, took a moment in the rectory sitting room to discuss his call for Law’s resignation.

He said Washington Cardinal Theodore McCarrick had distributed a statement for parish priests to read Sunday, reiterating the church’s guidelines against such crimes and vowing support for the families. After reading those remarks, D’Silva went a step further, a move he had not discussed even with his pastor. He spoke without notes, which he considers an impediment when addressing his congregation.

“I’m mad, angry, depressed, frustrated. I feel betrayed,” he said in an interview. “It has hurt everybody. It has hurt me too.

“Listen, I love the church,” he continued. “I told the people this will pass. A Christian is a fighter. He or she might fall down, but they will get up again. . . . This is a moment to take a good hard look into our lives.”

D’Silva said he decided to speak out because “the law has been broken.” Asked whether he feared repercussions from a church hierarchy that does not always countenance outspokenness, the 65-year-old priest replied: “The truth will set me free.”

Some parishioners applauded his comments. “There is no excuse over the past 20 years for a priest [accused of sex abuse] to be reassigned,” said Carolyn Lynch, 44, a former prosecutor who handled sex abuse cases and works part time at the National Cathedral in Washington. “Father D’Silva is very well respected and I think it was a pretty brave thing for him to do.”

While Law did not address the issue in his Sunday homily, Father Raymond Mann, speaking to parishioners at St. Anthony Shrine in Boston, said, “Not much can shock us in today’s world, but in the past weeks we’ve seen things, heard things and read things that we would never have dreamed of.”

It was an uneasy Sunday, as Catholics continued their six-week celebration of Lent, which encompasses the story of Jesus Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection. Even as they deplored the growing number of abuse allegations, many prominent church officials insisted that the charges focus on a relatively small number of priests and that the actions of a few should not be permitted to besmirch the reputation of the entire Roman Catholic faith.

Church defenders note, for example, that dozens of priests have been suspended or forced to quit their posts, out of an estimated 47,000 priests nationwide. Still, the scandal has clearly taken a toll on public opinion, as media reports surface every day.

Sunday’s New York Daily News found that 89% of those Catholics polled believe the church should report all abuse allegations immediately. The survey also found that 53% disapprove of Egan’s leadership on the issue, and 68% criticized the church’s overall response to the problem. Only 8%, however, said they had personal knowledge of sexually abusive behavior by priests. The poll, by Blum & Weprin Associates, included 502 Catholics in all five of the city’s boroughs.

“For American Catholics, this Lent has surely been an emptying and humbling experience,” said Denver Archbishop Charles Caput in a letter read Sunday to nearly 150 parishes. “The cross this Holy Week will have a deeper meaning for all of us.”

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Getlin reported from New York, and Fiore reported from Washington.