I was in Brussels only to come back to Washington to discover the complaints about Bishop Bransfield are as hot as ever. The large National Catholic Reporter newspaper issued a statement of importance to the college. Why? Because it is Bransfield who is keeping the college afloat. As soon as he falls - and it is coming through a quiet investigation in Philadelphia - the college will have no more sugar daddy.
See what the newspaper printed earlier this week:
"This week, all of America's Catholic prelates are invited to the annual meeting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Almost all of them will certainly show up.
Consider West Virginia Bishop Michael Bransfield, also accused of molestation. He should be disinvited from this week's meeting.
In April, Bransfield was accused of abuse by a man who testified about another child-molesting cleric. During that same trial, another man, also under oath, said Bransfield had a lewd conversation with him. And the prosecutor in the case disclosed that Bransfield had been accused, in a separate instance, of fondling a child years earlier.
Despite a pending criminal investigation into these allegations, Bransfield refuses to step aside during the probe.
In light of this, Bransfield should be told to stay home this week."
Larry Catraro
