BATON ROUGE - A few dozen faithful filled St. Joseph Cathedral in downtown to pray for forgiveness in the aftermath of the Catholic priest sex abuse scandal.

In February, the diocese released a list of 41 clergyman accused of a litany of sexual abuse across several decades. The list, like Friday's service, are similar to actions taken by other dioceses across the country.

At Friday's service, Baton Rouge Bishop Michael Duca called on Catholics to be patient friends to abuse victims who are still healing. He said he hopes victims and others disheartened by the scandal will one day regain trust in the church.

"I understand why they left, I understand the hurt and the difficulty they have. And then I pray they may one day see the church is responding in a way that might restore their hope," said Duca.