ARTICLES

Bishop addresses loss of life

My dear friends in Christ,

As your Bishop, I want to express some of my personal thoughts and feelings on the monumental tragedy that we have experienced here in the Diocese. I join my sadness to yours at the loss of the life of an unborn child whose teenage mother was in the foster care of Commonwealth Catholic Charities. Because of the issues of privacy of those involved, and the ongoing legal investigations, there was, and is a need to be prudent in making any public statement.

There are many questions people have — why did it happen? Were there no checks and controls concerning hiring practices? Was there no on-going education and formation in Catholic Christian morality concerning pro-life issues and social justice questions? There are also questions about why this situation was not revealed sooner. These are some of the questions which need to be answered by the board, the administration and the staff of Commonwealth Catholic Charities.

Obviously, respect for the life of the unborn is a basic tenet of our Catholic faith and morality. I would ask all of you to pray that we correct what needs correcting and strengthen areas that need strengthening so that Catholic Charities might continue their mission of service to those in need.

The guilt and depression that many of us experience as a result of the behavior of a few is something that we will bear for a long time to come. Finally, I express my profound apology for the loss of the life of one of the most vulnerable among us, and I apologize for the profound embarrassment this has caused the Catholic Diocese of Richmond, and Catholics throughout the United States.

I remain,

Sincerely yours in Our Lord,

Most Rev. Francis X. DiLorenzo

Bishop of Richmond

June 25, 2008

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