Who’s spreading propaganda, Archbishop?

THE EDITOR, Sir:

A FEW months ago, I wrote a letter which you published under the unfortunate title ‘Why is Peter Espeut so anal?’ Among other things, I questioned Roman Catholic deacon Espeut’s moral authority to claim that decriminalising consensual adult same-sex intimacy poses a threat to children when his own church has a long and sordid history of child abuse.

In response, Archbishop Emeritus Donald J. Reece accused me of spreading propaganda about his church (‘Stop the paedophilia propaganda’).

However, two recent incidents put the lie to the archbishop’s accusations.

This past week, a grand jury report in Philadelphia chronicled the most comprehensive investigation in US history into Roman Catholic Church child abuse. It makes truly horrific reading.

More than “300 predator priests have been credibly accused” of sexually abusing more than 1,000 children. One victim was a girl of 18 months, one underage girl was raped by a priest, who then arranged her abortion. In one case, a priest groomed children by telling them that the Virgin Mary had to “bite off the cord” and “lick” Jesus clean; another abused five young sisters from the same family and collected their urine, pubic hair and menstrual blood. One priest raped a girl who was in hospital after minor surgery.

Yet, in an op-ed published in another paper last week, the archbishop spoke about the need for truth.

In light of the foregoing, I wonder if the archbishop is willing to admit that he was wrong to call my piece propaganda?

MAURICE TOMLINSON Montego Bay, St James