Please don't speculate about Fr. Raul, reader hopes to welcome him back soon

Dear editor:

I am writing this in support of Fr. Raul Covarrubias, for myself and several other members of Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Parish who feel they cannot write a letter.

(Not surprising) the account of Fr. Raul's recent suspension reported in the Idaho Statesman was worded toward a very negative bias, with innuendos rather than facts. Using the past tense, "was," they also misrepresented a statement given by the parish secretary.

I am sorry that some people have taken this as license to speculate about the worst possible actions that go way beyond what would be considered "inappropriate conduct." I am sorry to see that some people are assuming guilt, simply because an accusation has been put forward.

I would like to remind the community and, especially the members of our parish, that an allegation has been made that is being investigated but has not been proven. A suspension is not the same as a dismissal and is not a supposition of guilt by the Diocese. It is their procedural standard while the allegation is being investigated.

Our parish is hoping to have this matter cleared up as soon as possible and have Fr. Raul once again serving as our pastor.

Please do not assume that when members of our parish say we are "hurt" by this situation, that we mean we hurt because we believe our priest is guilty of any wrong doing. The parishioners I have spoken to believe Fr. Raul is not guilty of any misconduct and are very hurt that someone has brought this painful episode into our faith community.

We are sad that he has to endure this and pray for him. We are also sad that someone felt the need to cause this pain and pray for them, as well.

I hope the parish and the community will keep an open mind and resist speculation until the matter has been investigated and the results reported.

Niki O'Reilly