MISSOURI
Southeast Missourian
Monday, January 7, 2013
By Scott Moyers ~ Southeast Missourian
They profess the same faith, recite the same prayers and, in many ways, live largely the same sort of lives that he did.
Still, when the Revs. Randy Tochtrop and John Harth learned that Father Walter C. Craig, a long-dead priest who came before them at each of their Southeast Missouri parishes, had been newly accused of abusing a child, they tried to channel some empathy for both accuser and accused.
Because, whatever the truth, both of them deserve it, they said.
“There’s no way to know for sure whether there’s any veracity to this particular allegation,” Harth said. “It’s one person’s word against someone who cannot speak for themselves. … Anybody can make an accusation. If it’s true, deal with it. If it’s not, they’ve besmirched the reputation of someone who can’t defend themselves.”
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