PHILADELPHIA – Church leaders called on parishioners Wednesday to pray for the soul of retired Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua, who led them for more than 15 years but was also an uncharged central figure in a child sex-abuse case that involves the alleged shuffling of predator priests.
Bevilacqua, who was 88, died in his sleep at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Wynnewood after battling dementia and an undisclosed form of cancer, according to archdiocese spokeswoman Donna Farrell. He had been the spiritual leader of the 1.5 million-member Archdiocese of Philadelphia from 1988 until his retirement in 2003.
Philadelphia Archbishop Charles Chaput encouraged all Catholics to “join me in praying for the repose of his soul.”
“Cardinal Bevilacqua has been called home by God; a servant of the Lord who loved Jesus Christ and His people,” Chaput said in a statement.
“Cardinal Bevilacqua’s death comes at a time when the Archdiocese is facing extraordinary challenges,” Chaput said. “During this difficult period, I invite all of our people to come together in prayer for a renewal of our Church and Her mission.”
Bevilacqua, trained in both civil and canon law, was sharply criticized but never charged by two Philadelphia grand juries investigating child sex abuse complaints lodged against
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