Paying the price

Boston

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston announced this week that it would have to close 65 of its 357 parishes by the end of the year. The closures were made necessary in part by payments the archdiocese agreed to make to hundreds of people who were sexually abused by priests, which have already surpassed $85 million. Archbishop Sean O’Malley said the church was also facing declining attendance and a shortage of priests, and could no longer afford to continue subsidizing struggling parishes. The alternative to making deep financial cuts all at once would be “closing parish after parish, school after school,” he said. Bob Frasca, a parishioner who is losing his church, said he would never put “another dime” in the collection plate. “I feel like we’ve been betrayed,” he said.