Cardinal Timothy Dolan Warns of Bad Publicity Coming His Way

By Lilly Fowler
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
February 20, 2014

http://www.stltoday.com/lifestyles/faith-and-values/divine-dispatches/cardinal-timothy-dolan-warns-of-bad-publicity-coming-his-way/article_338177c7-3402-5f0c-a1e0-6b857a60d7bf.html

Cardinal Timothy Dolan (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

I tweeted Cardinal Timothy Dolan's update earlier but thought I'd elaborate on the topic a bit more here.

A couple days ago, Dolan released a curious letter noting that his name might be in the press again -- and not in a good way.

"You know how I always try to alert you to any potentially negative publicity about the Church, or about me. Well, there could be some," he wrote.

"My home archdiocese of St. Louis just complied with a court order to release the documents regarding cases there of sexual abuse of minors...

Anyway, since I was an auxiliary bishop in St. Louis for a year (2001-02), and vicar for priests for nine of those twelve months, I would anticipate that my name will again be highlighted in the press. I sure have nothing to hide..."

The reason it's peculiar Dolan should warn of bad publicity is because as the Post-Dispatch's reporting has highlighted, the files he refers to are under court seal, available only to the judge and lawyers involved. And the trial date for the case that spurred the release of the files has been pushed back -- to July.

Leaders of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, called Dolan's post “preposterous and self-serving.”

Joseph Zwilling of the Archdiocese of New York says even "things under seal can sometimes get leaked."

"Since there was some publicity about this already...the cardinal wanted to let the people of the Archdiocese of New York what was going on."

In other news, an event those in the area might be interested in: The first woman in the history of the Episcopal Church to become Presiding Bishop, Katharine Jefferts Schori, will deliver the second annual C.S. Lewis Legacy Lecture on the campus of Westminster College in Fulton at 11 a.m. on Thursday, February 27.

Jefferts Schori has created waves in the Episcopal Church with her liberal stance on gay marriage and other social issues.

Her lecture will be on the topic of science and religion and is free.

Contact: lfowler@post-dispatch.com