“It is important for the Archdiocese of Boston, in this moment, to again apologize for the crimes and harm perpetrated against children by priests who held the trust and esteem of families and the community… Survivors and families who bear the wounds of these shameful acts are held with great tenderness in our prayers.” — A statement issued by the Archdiocese of Boston in response to the conviction of Paul Shanley, a defrocked Roman Catholic priest, who was found guilty of raping a boy in Massachusetts in 1980. Shanley, 74, may face a sentence of life in prison.

The Archdiocese of Boston has already agreed to pay 85 million dollars in order to settle over 500 civil suits relating to sexual abuse in the priesthood and consequent cover up scandals.

Mimi Hanaoka