BURLINGTON (VT)
Burlington Free Press
September 9, 2018
[See also: VIDEO: Burlington bishop reveals approach to Catholic orphanage abuse investigation, Burlington Free Press, September 9, 2018.]
By Nicole Higgins DeSmet
The Diocese of Burlington will cooperate fully with a joint state-local investigation into possible criminality stemming from the stories of abuse told by former residents of St. Joseph’s Orphanage, Bishop Christopher Coyne said Sunday morning.
Coynetold parishioners during Mass at St. Joseph’s Cathedral, and then reporters at a rare press conference, that the church erred in the past with its legalistic approach to allegations of abuse by clergy. Both survivors and the faithful deserve a more compassionate response, he said.
“As someone who loves the church, I’m filled with shame and sorrow,” said the bishop, who was appointed to his position in 2014, not only of the abuse allegations in Burlington, but of what he called “scandals” from all across the country, most recently in Pennsylvania.
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