In 2002, while addressing administrators of Catholic schools, Cardinal William Keeler called the last six months of the Roman Catholic Church's sexual abuse scandal "a painful and purifying time." As part of the archdiocese's penance for turning a blind eye to countless priests acting inappropriately with children for decades, the archdiocese had to pay out many millions to settle lawsuits. In addition to all the money spent settling suits, the archdiocese lost even more from once faithful, but now disgusted, Catholics taking themselves and their money to other Christian denominations.

Now, instead of having those tens of millions to assist parish schools and Cardinal Gibbons, the archdiocese is once again punishing the innocent children by closing their schools so they can ring every last cent out of what will become "surplus" property for the archdiocese. Shame, shame you cowards, shame on you.

David R. Etheridge, Hebron

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