COVINGTON, Kentucky, January 24, 2019 (LifeSiteNews) – A representative of LifeSiteNews traveled to Kentucky to present the Bishop of Covington with a petition asking him to exonerate the now-famous band of high school boys who were unfairly maligned by the press, social media, and by the bishop himself.
The petition also respectfully asks Bishop Foys to apologize to the students.
So far, over 25,000 people have signed the online petition, hosted at LifePetitions.com.
Scott Schittl, LifeSite's Campaigns Manager, tried to deliver the thick, text book-size petition to the Diocesan offices, but no one answered the door. His efforts at the parish office of Covington Cathedral met the same fate. As a result, the signatures will be delivered electronically.
Watch the footage of the petition delivery:
About a dozen LifeSiteNews readers from around the area joined Scott in praying the Rosary outside the Covington Chancery building. Not seen are several students who chose to remain out of view of the camera in order to protect their identities.
Bishop Foys “could have been a Catholic hero” by helping the public understand what happened to the pro-life boys from his diocese, said one of the local attendees. “But unfortunately the immediate condemnation” from their bishop, “really set them back.”
“Bishop Foys still has the opportunity to step up and be the leader that I know he is,” continued the man. “I’ve met him before and he’s a good man.”
“This is an opportunity that he missed,” he said, and encouraged Foys to, “be that leader that I know he is.”
“You publicly condemned the Covington kids who did no wrong,” said another man addressing his comments to Bishop Foys.
“That public condemnation deserves justice,” he continued. “It deserves an apology and a restoration of their good names.”
“I am here today for truth,” said a woman. “These boys have been accused falsely, just like Christ was.”
She said the boys’ behavior was “very Christ-like” and she implored others to listen to the truth, and not lies promoted in the media.