I was stunned to see the Catholic Church’s sexual abuse crisis paired with the COVID-19 pandemic as the two of the biggest “disruptor” moments for priests in one of Pablo Kay’s questions to Francis X. Maier in “Confession Time for America” in the March 22 issue.

Each of these events did not just “disrupt” the lives of priests. One involved serious crimes by priests and bishops that destroyed the lives of thousands of children, and the other involved a deadly virus that killed over a million Americans. One was purely the fault of the Catholic Church, while the latter was the fault of a virus and those who would not follow the advice of medical experts to avoid its spread.

One should never view the crime of child sexual abuse — or a deadly pandemic — as just a “disruptor” moment in a priest’s life.

— Donald Bentley, La Puente