Letter 22
To my beloved colleague in Christ,
The situation you describe is one that every bishop eventually encounters, and I will not pretend that the answer is straightforward: what do you do when a member of the clergy has behaved badly, when the evidence is credible but not irrefutable, when influential people are defending him, and when the damage of public action may exceed the damage of private correction?
I can only tell you what I have done in similar circumstances, which is not the same as telling you what is right.
First: gather the facts as fully as you can before doing anything. Half the mistakes bishops make in disciplinary matters come from acting on incomplete information. Speak to the priest privately before you speak to anyone else. Give him the opportunity to explain himself or to repent. If he is genuinely contrite and the offense is not of the gravest kind, private correction and a serious penance may be sufficient.
Second: document everything. Whatever happens, keep a record of what you learned, what you said, and what was decided. If the matter resurfaces later — as these matters often do — you will be grateful that you kept it.
Third: do not let the influence of powerful friends prevent you from doing what is right. I know how difficult this is; I have felt the pressure myself. But a bishop who becomes known for protecting his clergy from the consequences of their actions will find that his protection attracts exactly the clergy he least wants.
God grant you wisdom in this.
Braulio
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.