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Have you been feeling hurt, angry, or demoralized about the sexual abuse crisis plaguing the Catholic Church? With these scandals in mind, our parish has decided to share with you a new book by Bishop Robert Barron. The book is titled Letter to a Suffering Church: A Bishop Speaks on the Sexual Abuse Crisis. A free copy of the book for everyone in the parish is available today. For Catholics questioning their faith, searching desperately for encouragement and hope, this book will offer reasons to stay and fight for the Body of Christ.

Massachusetts bishops are addressing the state’s Catholics prior to the Feb. 21-24 Vatican Summit on the sexual abuse crisis. It is a crisis, they say, “that has again enveloped the life of the Church.”  “The Summit Meeting, convoked by Pope Francis, will involve the presidents of over 180 Episcopal Conferences from throughout the world; along with (Boston) Cardinal (Sean) O’Malley, participating in his role as President of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Children. The goal of the Summit Meeting, as stated by the Holy Father, is ‘catechesis’ of the episcopal conferences,” the bishops said in a letter to the people of the Commonwealth, published below. 

Given the continuing questions about sexual abuse of minors by members of the Church and issues which arose before and during the November meeting in Baltimore of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, we sat down with Bishop Robert J. McManus, Bishop of Worcester, to ask what is happening in the Diocese of Worcester. His responses are endorsed by the Diocesan Review Committee, members’ names are listed at the end of this interview.

“Why am I Catholic?” Sadly, this question is being asked by many Catholics these days as there is no shortage of stories in the news involving various types of abuse by members of the clergy including bishops.

There have been a number of recent news stories from around the country and around the globe revealing reports of sexual abuse of minors by clergy over many decades and how some bishops did not take decisive action to remove them from ministry. That such stories continue to emerge is deeply troubling, to say the least.