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My letter to the Nuncio, FYI

The Most Reverend Gabriele Montalvo,

I write to your Excellency in hopes that you might relay my humble concerns to the Vatican prior to our Holy Father’s conclave with the American Cardinals. I am a 30 year-old cradle Catholic, a graduate of 17 years of Catholic education in both Philadelphia and Boston, and an amateur student of Catholic history, tradition, and apologetics. I must inform your Excellency that the recent wave of sexual abuse scandals is taking a heavy toll on the faith of ordinary Catholics and on the trust many have in the Church hierarchy in the United States.

For years, many of us have worried that modern errors and sexual license were creeping into the rectories, seminaries, and universities of the Church in the United States. Placing our trust in our bishops, we assumed that this danger was being confronted and counteracted in an appropriately severe fashion. Now we discover that several of the bishops whom we trusted, rather than defending the flock and the teachings of the Church, have knowingly left us at the mercy of predators—homosexuals, pedophiles, and dissenters—in the priesthood, in the seminaries, and in the universities. Some of these are clearly guilty of nonfeasance at best and gross malfeasance at worst. The horrific stories related in the new book by Michael Rose Goodbye! Good Men are appalling beyond belief and demand immediate action if this scandal is to be contained and eventually ended. Furthermore, the atrocious actions of a small minority within the priesthood have left the holy and honest majority of priests as targets of suspicion and constant media attack. I’m sure you are aware of this situation and have a more complete knowledge of the various circumstances than I do. There can be no denying that this is a crisis within the American Church of major proportions that must be dealt with harshly.

Please know, your Excellency, that despite the actions of a few wayward shepherds, I remain strong in my faith and belief in all the teachings of the Catholic Church. I pray the rosary daily that our Holy Father Pope John Paul II will take prompt and vigorous action to defrock offending priests and send enabling bishops into retirement. Furthermore, from my own circle of reading, I know that there are numerous good and holy priests who would make excellent bishops to replace the ones who leave. Father Joseph Fessio, SJ, Father John Corapi (EWTN), Father John Perricone (New York City), and Father Robert Pasley (Berlin, NJ) are just a few of the priests I know of who would make outstanding bishops. I hope that exemplary men such as these will be considered for elevation in the near future.

Thank you, your Excellency, for taking the time to read this letter. I put my full trust and faith in the Vatican and our Holy Father to remedy this intolerable situation and feel very comfortable doing so. With all my heart, I firmly believe that when Christ said, “The gates of Hell shall not prevail against it,” he meant it.

Asking your Excellency’s blessing, I am yours respectfully,

My name