On July 28, I sent the letter below to my bishop, the Most Reverend Robert E. Guglielmone of the Diocese of Charleston. In it, I explain that I will no longer contribute to diocesan appeals for financial contributions until I am convinced by his public actions and witness that he is zealously seeking the creation of an independent investigation into the failings of the American hierarchy in regard to Theodore McCarrick’s sexual misconduct. I expect him to seek as well the removal from office of any bishops judged by such an investigation to have behaved negligently or worse. I ask my fellow Catholics to consider whether they also should withhold their diocesan contributions, in order to bring to bear one of the only effective forms of influence over the bishops that is available to us. I make the letter available for any who so decide, so that they may use it as a template for a letter to their local bishops. They should also feel free to forward it to anyone else that might be interested in making use of it.
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