Hartford archbishop holds no-questions-barred talk with students

Published: 2004-10-28

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. (CNS) -- On a recent Friday afternoon, Hartford Archbishop Henry J. Mansell held a no-questions-barred "Talking Catholic" conversation with a group of University of Hartford students that they characterized as "spectacular" and "unbelievable." After an opening prayer, the archbishop sat in a circle with about 40 students who are Newman Club members, and for about an hour he fielded almost nonstop questions from them on issues such as the clergy sex abuse scandal, abortion and birth control, and the closing of inner-city Catholic schools. Archbishop Mansell, who was installed as head of the archdiocese in December 2003, told the students that the clergy sexual abuse crisis came as "as a personal shock to me." He said, "But we are doing something about it. We are taking care of the problem by updating a code of conduct that requires background checks for everyone, even including volunteers who work with children."

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