RHODE ISLAND
Providence Journal
By
John Hill and Donita Naylor
Journal Staff Writers
Posted Sep. 23, 2015
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Of the hundreds of Rhode Islanders who traveled to the nation’s capital Wednesday to see Pope Francis, among the most interested was Providence Bishop Thomas Tobin.
The bishop, who in addition to watching the events also participated in many of them, said one thing that particularly struck him, besides the enthusiasm of the crowds, was the pope’s stamina.
At the end of the day, he said of the bishops, “we were very tired, and we didn’t do anything.”
Earlier in the day, in an address to the bishops who were in Washington, Francis spoke of the church’s handling of sexual abuse involving priests. His remarks were widely criticized by victim support groups and others as overly sympathetic to the bishops, who are often blamed for hiding reports of abuse for, in some cases, years.
Tobin said he did not think the address to the bishops was meant to be Francis’ only comment on the issue.
“I had to remind myself, this is only his first speech,” he said. “He’s going to be making a number of them. I would tell everyone they should stay tuned. We’re only in the first inning.”
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