This is what priests do

Perverts in collars may sell more papers, but for every lousy priest, there must be a hundred like this that aren't getting the publicity:

he first encounter on the Rev. Ed Hallinan's sunset stroll through North Philadelphia is telling.
Girls playing on a broken sidewalk near trash broiling in the heat greet the priest warmly, in spite of their surroundings.

A young mother sitting on her front steps scowls, as if to say she long ago succumbed to hers.

On these steps, in this African American neighborhood, a white stranger bearing blessings had best keep walking.

That - the anger, suspicion, and resignation that no one, not even men claiming to be sent by God, can change anything - is why Hallinan keeps showing up uninvited.

Yes, some neighbors are dying in the gunfights in the 22d Police District, home of some of the highest shooting rates in the city.

But what about all the people who are alive, if not entirely well?

"We need to be present," says Hallinan, the longtime pastor at St. Martin de Porres Roman Catholic Church at 24th and Lehigh.

"It's easy to be overwhelmed by the problems and withdraw, but in withdrawing, you take away people's human dignity and worth," adds Bishop Joseph McFadden, who likes to join Hallinan for the weekly walks.

Rocco at Whispers in the Loggia knows Fr. Hallinen personally, and has a lot more detail to fill in. Next time you hear someone sneer at a priest, show them this. As forcefully as necessary.