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Catholic Leaders Quiet After A New England Bishop's Controversial Tweet

Many Catholic church officials in New England are staying tight-lipped after a tweet from the Providence, Rhode Island, bishop led to criticism and protests.

On Saturday, Bishop Thomas Tobin sent the tweet, timed with the start of LGBTQ Pride Month.

The tweet
Credit Screen shot taken June 3, 2019
A tweet sent on June 1, 2019, from the Providence, Rhode Island, Catholic bishop, Thomas Tobin.

The posting spurred rebukes by thousands of people who replied on Twitter, including actresses Mia Farrow and Patricia Arquette. Many invoked the scandals of clergy sexual abuse of children in the church.

In Providence on Sunday, activists and local officials gathered in Cathedral Square to protest the tweet.

"I want to thank every single person here from the LGBTQIA+ community to all of our allies, because we are standing together in the face of hate," said Mayor Jorge Elorza.

Tobin's tweet did garner some support on social media. And while other bishops in New England did not come to Tobin's defense, they did not speak out against him, either.

Asked for comment, the Hartford Archdiocese said it doesn't offer guidance to parishioners on Pride attendance.

In an email, a spokesman for the Catholic diocese in Worcester said bishops rarely, if ever, comment about each other’s situations.

The Springfield, Massachusetts, diocese did not respond to requests for comment, but a western Massachusetts priest did agree to share his thoughts.

Father Michael Wood said he and many others in the diocese believe in a more personal approach than a blanket statement. 

"A good approach is to work with families one-on-one, working with them individually, to help them better understand and live out the teachings of their faith," said Wood, who is pastor at Mary, Mother of Hope Church in Springfield.

Wood said the the church exists to help both gay and straight people. He said he has no position on whether his parishioners should attend Pride events.

Meanwhile, Tobin has not deleted the tweet. But in a follow-up statement on Sunday, the bishop said he regrets his comments were "offensive to some, especially the gay community."

"The Catholic Church has respect and love for members of the gay community, as do I," Tobin wrote. "Individuals with same-sex attraction are beloved children of God and our brothers and sisters."

This report includes information from The Public's Radio and The Associated Press.

Before joining New England Public Media, Alden was a producer for the CBS NEWS program 60 Minutes. In that role, he covered topics ranging from art, music and medicine to business, education and politics.
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