Weymouth, Mass.
Dozens of worshipers shut themselves inside St. Albert the Great church this week to prevent the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston from closing it down. Archbishop Sean O’Malley announced this summer that he was closing 82 parishes to shore up church finances. The archdiocese was pushed to the brink of bankruptcy when it agreed to pay $100 million to alleged victims in the clerical sex abuse scandal. But parishioners said St. Albert was in sound financial shape, with no debt and $200,000 in the bank. Parish leaders vowed to stay as long as it took to save the church. “The bottom line is, we own this church,” said parishioner Sharon Harrington, a lawyer.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Critics’ choice: Restaurants worthy of their buzzfeature A fun bistro, a reservation worth the wait, and a modern twist on Mexican dishes
-
Film reviews: Snow White, Death of a Unicorn, and The Alto KnightsFeature A makeover for Disney’s first animated feature, greedy humans earn nature’s wrath, and a feud between crime bosses rattles the mob
-
Bombs or talks: What’s next in the US-Iran showdown?Talking Points US gives Tehran a two-month deadline to deal
