A Brief History
On August 27, 1915, a member of the clergy tried to assassinate another member of the clergy, a most un-Christian act indeed. Bishop Patrick Heffron was shot twice by a priest in his own diocese, Father Laurence M. Lesches.
Digging Deeper
It seems the priest was unhappy that the bishop did not see fit to grant a parish to Fr. Lesches, allegedly due to the instability of Lesches. Apparently, Bishop Heffron was right! Luckily, the good bishop did not die until 1927, of natural causes. The would-be assassin was committed to a mental institution for the rest of his life.
As with every profession, the religious clergy has its share of bad apples, amply evidenced by recent and historical accounts of the misbehavior and evil actions of supposedly religious people. Whether the scandal is sexual, money scams or even murder, organized religion has dramatically declined in the US. Why do you believe this trend has happened?
Question for students (and subscribers) to ponder: Should churches lose their tax free status?
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Buddenbaum, Judith. Religious Scandals. Greenwood, 2009.
Goodwin, Megan. Abusing Religion: Literary Persecution, Sex Scandals, and American Minority Religions. Rutgers University Press, 2020.
