for atonement

Mass in light of Pennsylvania scandal

REZVAN EGI

Contributing Writer

Members of the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart celebrated a Mass of Atonement Friday to recognize the survivors of the decades of sexual abuse recently uncovered in the Pennsylvania Catholic church system.

In August 2018, a Pennsylvania grand jury reported thousands of cases of sexual abuse by more than 300 “predator priests” had been covered up by the Pennsylvania dioceses’ “wholesale institutional failure that endangered the welfare of children.”

As the issue of sexual misconduct has been infamously associated with the Catholic community, a great deal of Richmond members conversed about hope and progress for their church.

Some members believe the church’s administrative operations and lack of accountability — as opposed to the teachings of the faith — are what continuously lead to the issue of sexual misconduct by clergymen.

“The Catholic religion is about the people and there [are] always going to be problems in governing bodies where there is no democratic voice,” said Katie Dickens, a Richmond local and new member of the church.

In a letter published by Barry Knestout,

See TORNADOES on page 3