By Robert King
Indianapolis Star
March 3, 2011
http://www.indystar.com/article/20110302/LOCAL/103020390/1001/living/Victims-abuse-groups-protest-ordination-auxilliary-bishop?odyssey=nav%7Chead
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| Rev.Christopher J. Coyne will be ordained today as the auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis. |
Two groups that serve as advocates for child victims of sexual abuse by priests say they will stage a silent protest today in Indianapolis as the Catholic Church prepares to ordain a new bishop who served as a spokesman for the Archdiocese of Boston during the height of the scandal.
Representatives of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) and the National Survivor Advocates Coalition (NSAC) plan to stage their protest across from St. John the Evangelist Church, where Rev. Christopher J. Coyne is scheduled to be ordained as a bishop during a Mass that begins at 2 p.m.
Coyne, 52, was never accused of abusing children and he has said that, as spokesman for the church in Boston, he never tried to "defend the indefensible."
But the groups protesting say the appointment as an auxiliary bishop is a reward from his former boss and former Boston Cardinal Bernard Law, who resigned in disgrace amid the scandal in Boston and now is a member of the Vatican committee that vets bishop candidates. The groups say Coyne was but a "mouthpiece" for Law.
With his ordination, Coyne will be the No. 2 official in the Archdiocese of Indianapolis. His job will be to assist ailing Archbishop Daniel M. Buechlein.
Call Star reporter Robert King at (317) 444-6089.
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