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First Posted: 2/5/2015

WEST WYOMING — In a voice soft with contrition, Father Leo McKernan confessed.

“Poor judgment on my part,” he said when we spoke on the phone.

Now the good people of the parish of St. Monica must decide whether to forgive this man known for his rabid anti-abortion views and dedication to what the church calls “pro-life.”

The Roman Catholic priest from the Diocese of Scranton admitted he was wrong to approve the showing of a 14-minute “movie” to a religious instruction class of 11-year-olds, sixth-grade innocents who will shape the soul of the Church for generations to come.

No one asked the children’s parents for permission, either.

The woman who taught the “CCD” class — short for Confraternity of Christian Doctrine — allowed her “zeal to overcome her common sense,” the priest said.

Parish parents know her well. Some accuse her of sharing McKernan’s zeal as an enemy of abortion, a Constitutionally protected right that she and he call murder. One parishioner said he and his wife regularly become uncomfortable during Mass because the priest works his hatred for abortion into his sermons whenever he can.

If, though, the priest and the “teacher” truly respect the sanctity of life, why inflict a gruesome, bloody and violent dramatization of an abortion into the lives of the most vulnerable — the very children they claim they want to save and protect?

One child sat stoically through the film, facing a wall and refusing to look, her mother said when she called WILK to talk with me on the air. A little boy came home and opened up about what he saw, adding that the teacher had also once passed around plastic figures of a fetus in various stages of gestation, his mother said.

Father McKernan said he gave the movie a quick look before signing off on its showing.

Even a quick look drives home the gore of what the movie’s director even admitted was an “exaggerated” portrayal of an overwhelmingly safe medical procedure.

The scene shows what turns out to be a horrific dream sequence of the procedure in living color, with flashing lights, gleaming sharp silver instruments, bloody doctor’s gloves and a grotesque intensity that is unsettling to many adults — even those who oppose abortion.

Some parents worry that their children might have nightmares or even experience diagnosable trauma that could follow them deep into their lives. One mother said she and her husband had to talk with their daughter about issues she was just not prepared to handle.

Father McKernan said he realizes that some of the children subjected to the movie might have been harmed. He “made an honest mistake” and would like to talk with parents.

Some parents, however, said they already spoke with McKernan and that he seemed pleased with the movie and less than impressed with their complaints that if all life is precious, as the church teaches, why their children’s lives were assaulted with an emotional attack that even they would not want to face.

I called the Diocese of Scranton and left a message asking Bishop Joseph Bambera to speak with me about the movie and the impact on the lives of the parish children. Bill Genello, the diocese’s executive director of communications, responded with a statement more suited to a stockholders’ meeting than to a group of loving parents who believe the church abused their children.

“The Diocese respects the concerns of parents regarding a film that was shown to a CCD class at St. Monica Parish. The intention to educate students about the dignity of all human life and the need for us to protect life at all stages is worthy. As efforts are made to accomplish this, the age and maturity level of those who receive the message must be considered. The Diocese has responded to the concerns expressed by parents and the circumstances in this particular case are being addressed. The Diocese will continue to offer educational programs that are appropriate for their intended audiences.”

The bishop did not return my call.

And life goes on.