AP reports:
Lowell, Mass. — Alleged victims of the Rev. Joseph Birmingham said they hoped a meeting with Cardinal Bernard Law would bring home to the prelate the depth of the clergy abuse scandal.
Law met behind closed doors with about 100 people, including about 20 victims and their relatives, Tuesday night. Those in attendance said Law apologized and asked for forgiveness.
“It was a very emotional meeting. There was not a dry eye in the room,” Bernie McDaid said. “I think he’s beginning to see the immensity of this and how much damage it really has caused.”
Fifty-four people have sued the Boston Archdiocese claiming they were abused by Birmingham starting in 1962. Birmingham died in 1989.
McDaid said the meeting was “only the beginning.”
“He has to come out and address the people. There’s no other way of healing,” McDaid said.
Added Gary Bergeron: “It’s a start. This is just a first step in a long process. It shouldn’t have taken this long. I do give him credit for being here.”
The lawsuits, some of which name Law as a defendant, allege that after parents raised concerns about Birmingham, church officials moved him among different parishes. Birmingham served at parishes in Lowell, Sudbury, Salem, Boston’s Brighton neighborhood, Gloucester and Lexington.
Archdiocese spokeswoman Donna Morrissey said the archdiocese won’t discuss Law’s meetings with victims.
Victims said that despite the ongoing litigation, the 2.5-hour meeting was an open, question-and-answer session, with no ground rules.
“The lawsuit is about the past, the meeting tonight is about the future … it’s about where do we go from here,” said Olan Horne, a spokesman for a support group for alleged victims of Birmingham.
Participants also hoped the meeting would help the parents of victims, many of whom have had difficulty accepting the damage done to their children, said Bergeron, a support group member.
“One of our main goals here is to get some healing for the parents,” Bergeron said.
About six victims have already met with Law in one-on-one sessions since July, said Bergeron, who also met privately with Law.
Tuesday’s meeting was organized as an attempt to bring Law to the site of Birmingham’s alleged abuse. The support group is currently in talks with the archdiocese about having other meetings, and its goal if to have Law visit all the parishes where Birmingham allegedly abused children.
In a related development, both the archdiocese and leaders of the Catholic reform group Voice of the Faithful said a Tuesday meeting between leaders of the two was “cordial and productive,” and may lead to a meeting between the group and Law. Previously, relations between the group and the archdiocese have been strained.