Springfield Bishop ‘truly sorry’ for Catholic church’s failure to protect children, calls for ‘prayer and action’ during Child Abuse Prevention Month
Updated 9:54 AM;
Today 9:54 AM
Springfield Bishop William D. Byrne speaks with reporters Oct. 14, 2020, at the Bishop Marshall Center at St. Michael s Cathedral. Don Treeeger / The Republican file)
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SPRINGFIELD Saying that he is “truly sorry” for the Roman Catholic Church’s failure to protect children, Springfield Bishop William Byrne is calling on church members to join him in “prayer and action” as part of Child Abuse Prevention Month.
“I ask you this month to join me in prayer and action as we work together as a Catholic Church and a wider community to continue to create safe environments for all children and implement best practices to prevent abuse of anyone,” Byrne says in a video message on the diocesan website. “We will protect God’s children.”
Updated: 5:59 PM CST February 11, 2021
PITTSFIELD, Mass. A former altar boy who says he was sexually abused by a now-deceased Roman Catholic bishop has filed a lawsuit seeking compensation for the suffering he alleges was made worse by a church coverup.
The now-grown man from Chicopee, Massachusetts, identified in court papers as John Doe alleges in the suit filed in Hampden Superior Court that Diocese of Springfield officials, including former Bishop Mitchell Rozanski, engaged in a coverup to protect the reputation of Bishop Christopher Weldon, The Berkshire Eagle reported Tuesday.
Weldon served as bishop from 1950 until 1977. He died in 1982.
Rozanski is now Archbishop of St. Louis.
A former altar boy who says he was sexually abused by a now deceased Roman Catholic bishop has filed a lawsuit seeking compensation for the suffering he alleges was made worse by a church coverup.