WASHINGTON (DC)
The Weekly Standard

September 12, 2018

By Sophia Buono

“The question is, ‘Who can you trust?’”

One morning, Robert Altier entered a store in Minnesota, expecting a normal round of shopping. But what he encountered was anything but normal.

“There was a small child who was there with his mom,” says Altier. “And I [saw] this absolutely horrified look on the woman’s face, and she pulled him back.”

What provoked the reaction? Altier, a Catholic priest, was simply wearing his clerical attire—the black button-down and pants, complete with the white collar. But that outfit was enough to frighten a small child.

After a slew of disturbing reports regarding sexual abuse allegations against priests and cover-ups from bishops, the incident (which happened to Fr. Altier “years ago,” in the midst of Minnesota’s own abuse scandals) demonstrates one of the repercussions that abuse scandals have had…