For Lent: penance and names

Yes, it was the day after the Archdiocese of Philadelphia placed 21 unidentified priests on administrative leave to investigate claims of sexual abuse and inappropriate behavior. Affirmative, too, that bloggers and Church critics lashed out at the Archdiocese for withholding the priests' names, adding to its latest tempest. Also ratcheting up the tension outside the Cathedral Basilica of Ss. Peter and Paul were a few clergy-abuse survivors, again alerting passers-by to the rapes of children whose pictures they held up.

P.S.: The media, both local and national, were there, too.

But the scene was nothing that Philly's Catholics couldn't handle. They packed the house at cathedral's Ash Wednesday Mass, about 1,700 strong, to do what they always do at this time of year - start the Lenten season, a time of penance and forgiveness.

"I personally renew my deep sorrow to the victims of sexual abuse in the community of the Church and to all others, including so many faithful, who suffer as a result of this great evil and crime," Cardinal Justin Rigali said during his homily.

Claire Keough, of Philadelphia, who attended the Mass, said that she thought the Cardinal's homily was "very good."

"I hope that these tortured children will learn to forgive and be able to move on through their faith," she said. "These children that were victims, they need closure, they need to know that someone is there thinking of them and people realize what has been done to them, and I think that it's been hidden too long now. My faith has sometimes been questioned over this, but I don't think I will ever lose faith."

Rigali said earlier: "Whoever harms a child must remember the words of Jesus: '. . . it would be better for him to have a great millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.' "

Rigali had removed the priests in response to a scathing grand-jury report that alleged that the Archdiocese endangered children by protecting accused pedophile priests and assigning them to unsuspecting parishes. None of the 21 has been charged with a crime.

The Daily News confirmed all 21 names yesterday.

"It's just a shame Rigali didn't release the names properly, and that he didn't suspend these priests years or months ago," said David Clohessy, executive director of the advocacy group SNAP, Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. "Will he now house and supervise these men, and how many more men are there?"

The simple answers appear to be no, no and it's unclear.

As part of their leave, the 21 priests cannot minister in public and cannot live in the rectory or parish.

"It was expected that they live in private residences with friends and family," Archdiocese spokeswoman Donna Farrell said last night.