Dear Editor: Thank you John Allen Jr. for trying to make “sense of McCarrick cover-up charges.”(The Tablet, front cover, Sept. 11). Sadly, your article is not convincing. True, Archbishop Vigano made several allegations in his 11-page memo. If but one or two are true – it is explosive. Did Pope Benedict ever place McCarrick in “time out.” That should be easy to prove without finding or reviewing documents. Just look at his lifestyle between the alleged time out and Pope Francis giving him a “get out of jail card.” Change? If so – guilty.

You think Pope Francis’ comment on the plane to the reporters to “judge the memo themselves” is the normal response of an accused person. The response skirts the issue. An honest person would say “Absolutely false.” Guilty! As far as trying to find the accusatory letters in the Vatican – unlikely.

I hope those who read your article also read the article by George Weigel on Page 26 of The Tablet. Guilty! It is not for me to judge Pope Francis, he may have been surrounded by nefarious advisors.

I believe the statement by Archbishop Vigano. His statement is not going to make me lose my faith. My moral compass is pretty well set and the members of the hierarchy of the Church are mortals. They make mistakes but I’m not going to bury my head in the sand and ignore the issue. Christ founded our Church and we have to do what we can to ensure it continues in His fashion.

THOMAS SULLIVAN

Belle Harbor