Bishop of Covington Says He Was Bullied into Condemning MAGA Boys
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article stated that Bishop Foy issued his Jan. 25 apology “due to” pressure from outside sources. In fact, Foy mentioned the pressure but made no claim that it had influenced his decision-making or actions in any way. Thus, “due to” indicated a conclusion made by The Western Journal that should not have been included in the article. After a reader reached out to the author of the piece, we changed “due to” to “after,” which more clearly and correctly describes this situation.
We apologize for any confusion our poor choice of words may have caused.
In this day and age of rampant “fake news,” it is almost expected that establishment media will jump onto bandwagons of condemnation without having all the facts. But when the Diocese of Covington did so against the Covington Catholic School teens, it was shocking to see.
The Diocese was quick to issue a statement on January 19 against the boys featured in a video clip with Native American Nathan Phillips, WLWT reported.
The statement from the Diocese read in part, “We condemn the actions of the Covington Catholic High School students towards Nathan Phillips specifically, and Native Americans in general, Jan. 18, after the March for Life, in Washington, D.C. We extend our deepest apologies to Mr. Phillips. This behavior is opposed to the Church’s teachings on the dignity and respect of the human person.”
The statement is reflective of a piece published by Forbes, which has since been updated, that condemned the boys and urged the Diocese to apologize to Phillips.
In its attack on the Diocese and the young men, the article stated, “It is ironic that a pro-life march would embolden young men to act so disrespectfully. Sadly, such behavior is not unusual.”
“No longer do people hide their bigotry; they act on it publicly. In doing so, they reveal the dark undercurrent of bigotry that has always coursed through our history,” it continued.
In the days following the initial video clip release, more videos came to light that showed what actually happened. And yet, the Diocese remained silent, except to say it was investigating the matter.
As of January 24, WLWT’s attempts to get a statement were met with silence.
It wasn’t until Jan. 25 that the Diocese finally issued another statement, this time apologizing for its haste in rushing to judgment of the boys in the original video clip that went viral on social media.
But the statement, made by way of a letter to the parents of Covington Catholic students, blamed their rush to judgment on being pressured and bullied, WLWT reported. And that wasn’t all.
The letter, penned by the Bishop of Covington, Rev. Roger Foys, also said the new apology was being issued after pressure from outsiders.
The letter read in part, “Since Saturday, 19 January 2019 the events at the Lincoln Memorial following the annual March for Life have gained international attention. Within hours we were being pressured from all sides to make a statement regarding a video clip which purportedly showed students from Covington Catholic High School being disrespectful to Native American Elder Nathan Phillips. Based on what the video clip showed we condemned the actions of students who engaged in the alleged disrespect and promised to investigate the matter.”
“Since that time other video clips — some of much longer duration — have surfaced. Once these went viral some of the very same people who had put tremendous pressure on us to condemn the actions of the students now wanted a retraction from anyone who had previously issued a statement critical of them. All of this was based again on a video.”
Foys noted the vitriol and violent threats that had been aimed at the boys in the video, their families, and others, following the initial video clip release. His letter took no responsibility for helping to fuel it.
He did, however, apologize for the “disruption” issuing nothing more than a statement about an investigation may have caused. His letter also said that the Diocese took responsibility for “allow(ing) ourselves to be bullied and pressured into making a statement prematurely.”
The investigation is still ongoing, but the letter did offer a special apology to the teen at the center of the controversy. “I especially apologize to Nicholas Sandmann and his family as well as to all CovCath families who have felt abandoned during this ordeal.”
It continued, “Nicholas unfortunately has become the face of these allegations based on video clips. This is not fair. It is not just.”
“We now await the results of the investigation and it is my hope and expectation that the results will exonerate our students so that they can move forward with their lives.” So the letter left open the possibility that the boys could be condemned by the Diocese yet again, although Foys “hope(d) and expect(ed) that” the boys would be exonerated.
It may seem particularly odd that a person in a position of religious leadership acted with such haste to condemn, rather than be protective of, his own flock. And even after evidence came to light that the condemnation was wrong, it might seem odd that a religious leader would then be so slow to apologize or acknowledge the wrong.
For some, religion can offer a shelter from the storm, of sorts, from all the ugliness out there in the world. To then be hit with such a thing within the sanctuary of one’s own church is appalling.
If a person in leadership is so quick to fold to pressure and condemn his own, without sufficient evidence, it may make it difficult for his own flock to have faith in him in other areas.
In these trying times, church-goers need a boost to their own strength and resolve, not further attacks against them.
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