When we left
D.J. Bettencourt, the majority leader of the New Hampshire House was
sticking to his guns, but late yesterday came the news that he had sent a
letter to Bishop John B. McCormack apologizing for calling him a
pedophile pimp. “Upon humble reflection,” he’d decided that the
characterization had been “at best undiplomatic and a better choice of
words was both warranted and appropriate.” Sunday will do that for
you–Sunday and perhaps the reflection that you don’t want to turn the
New Hampshire budget battle into a mano-a-mano between your 27-year-old
self and the Catholic Church.

The letter itself is an impressive
rhetorical performance. It’s more than plausible that a young New
England Catholic, coming into adulthood in the midst of the worst
scandal ever to afflict his church, should have burst into an angry
denunciation of one of the men in authority responsible for causing it.

My comments emanated from the deep hurt brought forward by the damage
caused by the sex abuse scandal that engulfed our church, which has
resulted in thousands turning their back on the church, particularly for
those of my generation. Unfortunately, your role in that scandal has,
in my opinion, hurt the Church in ways that will take decades to repair…

My comments were in no way were intended as an attack on the Catholic
faith, the Church, or on the position which you hold. I remain a
committed member of our church and am proud to be so. They also had
nothing to do with your message of caring for those less fortunate than
ourselves.

Yet while apologizing for his choice of
words, Bettencourt adamantly defended the funding cuts voted by the
House that McCormack along with other state religious leaders–not to
mention Gov. John Lynch—denounced as draconian. Members had “poured their hearts out to ensure that the most vulnerable in our
society were not disproportionately hurt by our work to have the state
live within its means.” I get it: Fairness means that the most vulnerable get hurt as much as the rest us.

The Church long ago decided (cf. Donatism)
that the efficacy of the sacraments could not be impaired by the prior
misbehavior of a ministering priest or bishop. Similarly, church
teachings ought to be taken seriously regardless of who is delivering
them. In criticizing cuts to services for the poor as well as defending
the right of workers to form unions (against a provision of the House
bill that would limit government worker bargaining rights), Bishop
McCormack was doing no more than delivering long-standing Catholic
social teachings. One can hope that, upon some more humble reflection,
Majority Leader Bettencourt will decide to take them seriously too.