Bishop apologizes for 'tragedy' of abortion aided by Charities' staff

Published: 2008-07-03

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Bishop Francis X. DiLorenzo of Richmond, Va., expressed his "profound apology for the loss of the life of one of the most vulnerable among us" after employees of a Catholic Charities office in his diocese helped a refugee minor obtain an abortion last January. "I apologize for the profound embarrassment this has caused the Catholic Diocese of Richmond, and Catholics throughout the United States," Bishop DiLorenzo said in a letter published in the June 30 edition of the diocesan newspaper, The Catholic Virginian. "The guilt and depression that many of us experience as a result of the behavior of a few is something that we will bear for a long time to come," he added. Calling the abortion a "monumental tragedy," the bishop said, "I join my sadness to yours at the loss of the life of an unborn child whose teenage mother was in the foster care of Commonwealth Catholic Charities."

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