Horse pucky. Some forgotten girlfriend—if there was such a person—26 years ago?
The NY Times never misses a chance to bash the Catholic Church, because they know the Church is probably the most implacable enemy of their political dreams—abortion, gay marriage, sexualization of kindergartners, and all the rest of it.
Yes, there are a lot of pretty feeble bishops out there, who could do their jobs a lot better, but the church is still their main enemy.
Probably another composite character, just like the person using the Obama identity.