Closed Boston-area parishes to continue vigils, plan direct appeal to Pope

Closed Boston-area parishes to appeal to Pope

BOSTON — Parishioners who recently lost appeals to the Vatican to reopen their Boston-area churches will continue round-the-clock vigils and plan to appeal directly to Pope Benedict XVI.

The leader of a parishioners’ group says five parishes closed by the Archdiocese of Boston in wake of the clergy sex abuse scandal will continue sit-ins they’ve held for the last five years.

Peter Borre said the parishes also will file a formal appeal to the Pope. He says the group will boost its outreach to parishes nationwide that also are targeted for closure.

Last month, the Vatican rejected final appeals by 10 closed parishes.

The archdiocese announced in 2004 it was closing dozens of churches, citing falling attendance, a priest shortage and financial problems. The archdiocese denies the closings were related to the scandal.