UNITED STATES
National Catholic Reporter
September 4, 2020
Repentance is something that Catholics usually understand.
That is one reason why former Bishop Michael Bransfield’s response to the charges leveled against him is so egregious.
Bransfield formerly led the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, West Virginia. There he proceeded to, according to a church investigation, embezzle $792,000 while sexually harassing seminarians.
Bransfield, according to the diocese, has paid back $441,000, and will retire with benefits, including a $2,250 monthly pension. That’s far less than the normal $6,200 for a retired bishop, but not a bad deal for Bransfield considering the circumstances.
“I am writing to apologize for any scandal or wonderment caused by words or actions attributed to me during my tenure,” Bransfield wrote in an Aug. 15 letter of apology to his former diocese.
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