BURLINGTON (VT)
VTDigger [Montpelier VT]
August 3, 2023
By Maura Labelle
The church counselors couldn’t even help their own priests. Why would Coyne think those counselors could help the priests’ victims?
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This commentary is by Maura Labelle of Colchester, a former resident of St. Joseph’s Orphanage in Burlington.
Without question, Bishop Christopher Coyne of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington earned his promotion to coadjutor archbishop of the Diocese of Hartford, and promotion to simply archbishop in 2024.
The position was earned on the backs of clergy abuse victims in Vermont, who were largely ignored during his tenure here.
In an interview on the WCAX program “You Can Quote Me,” which aired on July 2, Coyne again showed that where clergy abuse is concerned, he either just doesn’t get it, or doesn’t want to get it.
Asked about the abuse at St. Joseph’s Orphanage, Coyne said, “The situation with the orphanage was a case in point. There’s not really much we could have done now. That happened prior to ’74 but there’s still a lot of anger, still a lot of hurt. And sometimes it gets a little personal but that’s the reality of what’s happened.”
Clearly, Bishop Coyne, there are things you could do, but you don’t want to do them. To get needed counseling paid for, under the bishop’s dictates, orphanage survivors would be forced to receive it from counselors chosen by the diocese, rather than having the opportunity to choose their own counselors. So, people needing to retake control of their own lives would be forced to get counseling the bishop’s way, where the diocese would still have power over them.
The church counselors couldn’t even help their own priests. Why would Coyne think those counselors could help the priests’ victims?
There is also something else the diocese could do — compensate victims for the abuse they were subjected to at the hands of clergy.
In addition, I had asked Coyne’s top lieutenant, Msgr. John McDermott, to send money to me for a donation to be used for construction of the planned St. Joseph’s Orphanage Memorial, only to be told that the diocese had decided it didn’t wish to donate. Nothing you can do, Bishop Coyne? Really?
There is also something Coyne could have done. Instead of sending the remaining Sisters of Providence who worked at the orphanage back to Canada, you could have kept them here so that they could be questioned about the abuse.
Also striking in Coyne’s interview were his repeated references to the criticism of his handling of issues surrounding the sexual, physical and emotional abuse of children getting “personal.” Bishop Coyne, if as a child, you were beaten, raped and forced to eat your own vomit, wouldn’t you consider that “personal”?
Yes, Coyne has apparently taken much of the criticism over his handling of clergy abuse as personal. But, next year he will become archbishop of Hartford, thanks to his following of church policy in dealing with abuse cases, a choice over doing the right thing for victims of the diocese.
The media in Connecticut are already on to Coyne. In a story regarding his appointment, the Hartford Courant headline read, “CT’s new bishop once served as spokesman for disgraced Boston Cardinal Bernard Law.”
Based on my experience in Vermont, I believe that clergy abuse victims in Connecticut should not hold out hope for any help from Coyne, because he is most concerned about money. But, keep up the good fight, and perhaps Coyne will finally take another view of how the church is handling its misdeeds.
In his interview on WCAX, Coyne said he is allowed to violate his vow of obedience to the church “only if it’s a matter of conscience.” Maybe he will finally come to the conclusion that this is a matter of conscience.