MUNICH (GERMANY)
VTDigger [Montpelier VT]
January 30, 2022
However, the worldwide Catholic Church and the Vermont Catholic Diocese remain stuck in their burrow, shadow or no shadow, when it comes to the issue of clergy abuse of children. Even Benedict XVI, the pope emeritus, has had to retract his statements regarding his knowledge of child sexual abuse by priests under his watch as Archbishop of Munich, blaming his false words on an editing error.
Does Benedict really expect us to believe that?
The Catholic Church, including Pope Francis and Bishop Christopher Coyne, could give abuse victims an early spring whether they see their shadows or not. Bishop Coyne, in particular, has chosen to ignore victims of past abuse, apparently in hopes that they will go away. We are not going to do that.
While I fully expect Bishop Coyne to remain in his burrow, and extend the lifelong winter for victims of abuse by clergy, I continue to hope that he will do right by all of us. It’s been a lifelong cold and lonely winter for abuse victims who are continually stonewalled by the bishop.
Maura Labelle
Colchester