Two days after list of accused priests goes public, St. Louis Cathedral Mass mostly business as usual
Updated
New Orleans Archbishop Gregory Aymond started Sunday Mass (Nov. 4) at St. Louis Cathedral by offering a short prayer for the victims of sexual abuse at the hands of Catholic clergy, pointing parishioners to his letter about past abuse and the archdiocese’s list of 57 priests it deemed credibly accused of abusing minors in the Clarion Herald, the archdiocese’s own newspaper. The list was released publicly just two days earlier.
“I would ask you to join me in prayer for all of those who have been hurt by church leaders, that they will know God’s comfort and peace, that he will give them hope,” Aymond said.
The prayer and mention of the Clarion Herald at the top of the mass lasted less than a minute. Then, the Mass moved on as it usually would have inside the French Quarter cathedral.
The only other mention of the scandal came during the prayers of the faithful, a series of short call-and-response prayers recited in the middle of every Catholic Mass. The church offered one of these prayers for “those hurt by church leaders” -- but there was no specific mention of clergy abuse. It came after two similar prayers for Pope Francis and “world leaders,” and right before another for “church parents” to encourage their children to remain Catholic.
As worshippers left St. Louis Cathedral, ushers passed out copies of the Clarion Herald with Aymond’s letter and the list of accused priests.
New Orleans is one of about 50 parishes around the country that has published such a list of accused priests following an explosive report from the Pennsylvania attorney general in August. That investigation found 300 priests abused 1,000 victims in six of eight dioceses there over several decades. It triggered a new round of reporting and concern over sexual abuse in the Catholic Church worldwide.
On Sunday, Aymond did not mention clergy abuse during his homily, the most direct way the bishop and other priests address the public each week. Aymond has also said the church decided not to read his letter about the scandal to parishioners aloud at Sunday Mass because children would be present at the services.
Instead, Aymond focused his homily on a New Testament passage from the Gospel of Mark, which emphasizes that loving God and loving neighbors are the two most important tenants of Christianity. “The love of others -- as you and I know -- is a messy, messy business,” he told the crowd. “When we mess up, we start over the next day and we ask for God’s strength.”
The bishop also kept mum about Catholic World Youth Day in New Orleans, which happened to coincide with the publishing of the abusive priests' names. The event was being celebrated by the New Orleans Archdiocese at the Morial Convention Center all day Sunday. It was targeted toward middle and high school Catholic students and included speakers and activities meant to deepen children’s faith, according to information on the archdiocese’s website.
Aymond made two other specific prayer offerings during the mass aside from the prayer for victims of clergy abuse: He closed mass by encouraging people to pray for the “battle against violence” and racism. He also offered a prayer for the Saints -- not the religious icons but the ones playing football later in the day -- at the top of Mass and right after acknowledging the victims of clergy abuse.
Saints owner Gayle Benson, wearing a gold sequin dress, attended mass and followed Aymond as he processed out of the Cathedral at the end of the service. Benson, a known cathedral donor, gave the bishop a long hug before leaving.
The names of the priests accused of abuse dominated local news headlines over the weekend, but it didn’t appear to to affect church attendance at the cathedral Sunday. Every pew was filled with at least two people -- often more than that -- for the 11 a.m. service. A few of those attending were tourists, but many were locals. The flock in the pews was dotted with New Orleans Saints' jerseys and other black-and-gold outfits.
Aymond warmly greeted dozens at the end of Mass outside the cathedral as a Louisiana State Police trooper stood a few feet away. Several people exiting Mass declined to comment on the release of the names of accused priests when approached by a reporter. A few said they knew the list of accused priests had been published, but they hadn’t reviewed the new information carefully.
Wendy Lane, a French Quarter resident, said she was going to follow Aymond’s advice given at the beginning of Mass and “pray for those that have been hurt” by the Catholic church.
Ron Sperier, the rare person in the crowd who had worn a coat and tie to mass, said he considered the clergy abuse “the work of the devil” and was confident Aymond would be able to guide the archdiocese through its challenges.
“The church has been through worse times,” he said.
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