Catholic Archbishop: 2012 Will Be Tough Year

Philadelphia's new Roman Catholic Archbishop is warning members of his flock to brace for a tough year ahead in 2012. In a pastoral letter being read to every congregation in the Archdiocese (which includes all of Tredyffrin and Easttown) this weekend, says he will be moving swiftly to resolve the cases of the catholic clergymen put on administrative leave in March as part of the priest abuse sex scandal.

Chaput pulls no punches in telling his flock that while the overwhelming majority of priests in the Philadelphia Archdiocese "have served our people with exceptional lives of sacrifice and character," but he is also going to move swiftly to resolve the cases of the suspended priests-one way or the other.  He says the priests who have served faithfully and well have borne the burden of the church's public humiliation and catholics' anger.

He admits the scandal will get worse before it gets better as some accused priests come to trial in the early part of 2012 with harsh media scrutiny.

Chapult also warns that economics and responsible management will force several Archdiocese schools  to be closed or combined with other parishes. In a frank assesment of the situation of the finances and sustainability of the Archdiocese schools he warns "many" schools may be affected in the coming 18 months.  Chaput's letter does not offer any specifics about which schools could be affected.

To read the entire letter, please click on the pdf.