Apologies for a small word

Dear editor:

In my letter to the editor last week regarding Fr. Raul Covarrubias, I made a rather snide remark about the Idaho Statesman getting a word wrong in a story and changing the meaning of a quote.

Now I have to sit down to a large serving of crow and apologize for making an even greater error in using an incorrect word in that same letter. It was a careless mistake and I should have known better.

I referred to the "suspension" of Fr. Raul, when he is not on suspension at all, but on administrative leave. This is a very serious mistake, since suspension implies disciplinary action and creates the impression of guilt.

Administrative leave is a standard procedure for the Diocese during the investigation of an allegation of misconduct. No guilt has been established and no disciplinary action taken.

I offer a very deep "mea culpa' to Fr. Raul, the parish of Our Lady of Good Council and to the Mountain Home News.

Niki O'Reilly

Editor's note: The Mountain Home News also received a call from local parish officials objecting to the use of the word suspension in our story about the allegations involving Fr. Raul.

Although most people would see little difference in the functional use of the word, parish officials noted that "canonically, there is a world of difference between a suspension and a leave of absence." All future stories will therefore make that distinction.

We should stress at this point that the church has not identified the specifics of the allegation and there does not appear to be any secular criminal investigation underway at this time. The church is conducting its own internal investigation and the actions it has taken are part of policy whenever any allegation of this nature is made.